Over 600 Chinese firefighters killed on duty since 1949

More than 600 Chinese firefighters have died on duty since the founding of the country in 1949, officials said today.
On the country's third Martyrs' Day today, the fire department of the Ministry of Public Security held a memorial ceremony for the 602 firefighters who died on duty.
Yu Jianhua, head of the department, said at the ceremony that four major accidents in history, including the blast at Tianjin port in August last year, killed 125 firemen.
Some of these firefighters are role models known by the whole country, Yu said.
Wang Qinlin, political commissar of the department, asked all firefighters to learn from the spirit of those who died in service, maintain social stability and make contributions to the people, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.