BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Emergency Management, together with the National Fire and Rescue Administration, has dispatched a joint work team to Jinjiang City in Quanzhou, east China's Fujian Province, to guide rescue and response efforts following a fire at a local shoe factory.
The fire broke out at around 12:00 p.m. on Thursday at the factory, causing casualties, the ministry said.
Since the incident was reported, the ministry has maintained round-the-clock coordination and dispatch, calling for all-out efforts to extinguish the fire, search for and rescue those trapped, and treat the injured.
It also urged relevant authorities to identify the cause of the fire and take effective measures to prevent similar accidents.
Local fire and rescue teams have deployed 183 personnel and 35 vehicles to the scene. Firefighting efforts are still underway. ■
