Staff reportedly removed 71 patients after a fire broke out in the inpatient department of Beijing Changfeng Hospital.
Twenty-one people have died in a fire at a Beijing hospital that forced the evacuation of dozens of patients, according to Chinese media.
Emergency response teams first received word just before 1pm (05:00 GMT) on Tuesday that a fire had broken out at the Beijing Changfeng Hospital in the capital city’s Fengtai District, the state-run Beijing Daily report said.
The fire was extinguished about half an hour later and rescue efforts continued for about another two hours.
Staff removed 71 patients after the fire broke out in the inpatient department of private Beijing Changfeng Hospital, state media including CGTN reported.
It was not immediately clear if all the occupants of the hospital had been found and evacuated from the fire.
Investigation launched
The Beijing Daily said “the cause of the accident is under further investigation”.
Social media users posted videos through the afternoon of people sitting on external air conditioning units, while others who were clinging to ropes jumped from the building.
The deaths were confirmed after the victims were taken to another unidentified hospital for emergency treatment, the report said.
Further details were not available on the number of injuries suffered in the fire or patients’ conditions.
Beijing Changfeng Hospital is in the capital’s western urban area, about 25 minutes by car from central Tiananmen Square.
