Thirteen pupils have died after a fire broke out in dorms at a boarding school for elementary pupils in central Henan province, Chinese state media has reported.
All of the victims were third grade pupils (aged eight to nine), a teacher told Zonglan news, a state-backed media outlet from Hebei province.
One person rescued from the scene was being treated in the hospital, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.
The fire started on Friday night and was put out just before midnight at Yingcai School in rural Fangcheng district in central Henan, according to CCTV, who said the school’s owner had been detained.
Local authorities said they were investigating the cause of the fire.
The boarding school caters primarily to pupils in the elementary grades, though it has an attached kindergarten, according to the school’s WeChat page.
Many of the boarding pupils come from rural areas, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
The facility is in Dushu township and is one of the school’s two branches.
