10 killed, 9 injured in apartment fire in northwest China's Xinjiang region

A fire in an apartment building in northwestern China's Xinjiang region has killed 10 people and injured nine, authorities said Friday.

The fire broke out Thursday night in the regional capital of Urumqi, where temperatures have dropped to below freezing after dark. The blaze took around three hours to extinguish.

The injured were all expected to survive and the cause of the fire is under investigation, the local government said.

The tragedy comes days after 38 people died in a fire at an industrial trading company in central China caused by welding sparks that ignited cotton cloth.

Four people have been detained over the fire in the city of Anyang and local authorities ordered sweeping safety inspections.

Aging infrastructure, poor safety awareness and, in some cases, government corruption has led to series of recent fires, explosions and building collapses around China, which continues to grapple with new COVID-19 outbreaks, prompting lockdowns and rigid travel restrictions affecting millions of people.