Theme park fire kills 13 on first day of National Day celebrations in China

Beijing, Ta. Friday, October 2, 2020

A fire at a theme park on the first day of an eight-day national holiday at a tourist destination in China has left 13 people dead, authorities say.

Ice sculptures and lantern halls caught fire on Thursday at the Taitashan theme park on the outskirts of Taiyun City in Shanxi Province, the Emergency Management Ministry said.

Fifteen others were burnt, but authorities said they were in stable condition. Millions of Chinese are expected to flock to the theme park during the long-awaited holiday to revive an economy that has almost collapsed amid the Corona-19 epidemic.

Taitashan is a huge park with many museums, rides and other attractions. The work safety committee of the nation-wide organization State Council will investigate the cause of the fire, the emergency ministry said.