Authorities have disciplined more than 50 officials and arrested 10 people suspected of criminal liability in a deadly fire that killed dozens in January, state media reported.
The fire in the city of Xinyu in the central Jiangxi province trapped many people, killing 39 and injuring nine.
Public prosecutors approved the arrest of 10 people, including representatives of businesses that owned the store and hotel where the blaze took place, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Multiple officials from the local government have been sacked, with 55 public officials “seriously held accountable”, CCTV added.
State news agency Xinhua reported at the time that the blaze was caused by the “illegal” use of fire by workers in the basement.
The Jiangxi government has since vowed to “fully protect the safety of local residents’ lives and property”, CCTV reported.
The Jiangxi fire occurred the same month as a late-evening blaze at a school in the central Henan province that killed 13 children as they slept in a dormitory. — AFP
