Fire at shopping centre in Sichuan province kills 16

Sixteen people were killed in a fire at a department store in China's Sichuan province on the evening of July 17, state media said.

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The fire broke out in a 14-storey building in a high-tech zone of the city of Zigong, shrouding the vicinity with thick smoke, according to Xinhua news agency on July 18.

Rescue operations concluded at around 3am on July 18, according to local fire and rescue services cited by Xinhua.

Video broadcast by state media outlet CCTV and shared on social media showed thick black smoke billowing out of the tower.

The blaze started in the early evening in a shopping centre at the foot of the building, the channel said.