Fatal Fire Claims 12 Lives in Residential Building in Southern China's Shantou

State media outlet Xinhua reported that 12 individuals lost their lives in a tragic incident.

A devastating fire erupted in a residential building in southern China, resulting in 12 fatalities, according to state media reports released on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in a four-storey building in Shantou, Guangdong province. The blaze began at approximately 9:20 pm on Tuesday and was successfully extinguished shortly after 10:00 pm, as confirmed by the local fire department in an official statement.

This tragedy follows last month's catastrophic fire that engulfed multiple high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong, which borders Guangdong province, claiming 160 lives.

"The affected structure was a four-storey self-built reinforced concrete building," stated the Chaonan District Fire and Rescue Team, further noting that the fire had impacted an area measuring 150 square metres (approximately 1,600 square feet).

"Orderly investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the fire and manage the aftermath," the statement continued.

Initial reports on Wednesday morning indicated that eight people had died, with four injured individuals transported to hospital for treatment.

Xinhua, a state media outlet, later confirmed that the death toll had risen to 12 people.

This incident occurs in the wake of China's recently launched nationwide campaign targeting fire hazards in high-rise buildings, which was implemented following the devastating Hong Kong blaze last month.