Chinese woman held for foster home's fire
2013-01-05 07:24
Beijing - The woman, who ran the private foster home that
burnt down in China, has been taken into custody, the state broadcaster has
reported.
A fire killed at least seven children on Friday at a
private foster home housing 34 abandoned children in the central Chinese
province of Henan, state media said.
The fire broke out about 08:00 (00:00 GMT) at the home in
Lankao county and was extinguished by fire-fighters about two hours later, the
official China.com.cn website reported.
The number injured remained unclear and police were still
investigating the cause of the fire, the report said.
It said four children died at the home, three more died
on the way to hospital and one injured child was under treatment.
The home was run by Yuan Lihai, a woman who was well
known locally for helping abandoned children and had cared for more than 100
children since 1987, state broadcaster China Central Television said.
The broadcaster said police detained Yuan, 48, for
questioning following the fire.
It quoted officials as saying 21 boys and 13 girls had
been living at Yuan's home, including 16 children with disabilities.
But the reports did not say if any of the 26 children
unaccounted for on Friday were rescued or missing following the fire.
Yuan reportedly sold items in front of the county
hospital to pay for her care of the children.
- SAPA
