18 killed, 16 injured in fire at China martial arts school

(Photo for illustrative purposes only) 18 killed, 16 injured in fire at China martial arts school

At least 18 people were killed and 16 injured when a fire broke out at a martial arts school in central China in the early hours of Friday, according to a local government statement. Local media reported that most of the victims were boarding pupils aged between seven and 16. The fire had been extinguished and authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze, the statement from Zhecheng county government said. There were 34 boarding students on the premises when the fire broke out, according to local government staff quoted by Beijing Toutiao News.