State Council to oversee probe into deadly northern China fire

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Work Safety Committee of China's State Council will supervise the investigation into a fire at a coal mine company building in north China's Shanxi Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Friday.

The fire, which broke out on Thursday morning in the Lishi District of Lyuliang City, left 26 dead and 38 injured, according to a press conference held by the provincial government.

The committee will send a work team to help guide local authorities in investigating the accident according to relevant laws and regulations to find out the cause and seek accountability.

Wang Xiangxi, the minister of emergency management, urged relevant departments to learn a lesson from the accident and tighten safety hazard checks in key areas thoroughly.

Concrete actions must be taken to ward off major accidents and guarantee a stable security situation at the end of the year, Wang said.

After the accident, 18 fire engines, 30 ambulances, more than 90 medical staff, and over 150 rescuers were mobilized for emergency rescue. As of 8:35 a.m. Thursday, the open fire was extinguished at the scene. The search and rescue concluded at 1:45 p.m.