Compensation for mall fire victims
The families of the 54 killed in Jilin will receive 80,000 yuan from its owner
Families of those who died or were left seriously disabled by Sunday's fire at a shopping mall in Jilin will be paid 80,000 yuan each in compensation.
The sum, and smaller amounts being paid to others affected by the blaze, were based on the city's economic situation and the ability of the mall's owners to pay, Xinhua reported.
The death toll from the blaze at the Zhongbai mall in the northeastern city rose to 54 yesterday with the discovery by salvage workers of the body of another victim - a 44 year-old woman. A total of 70 people suffered injuries, many after jumping to safety from the upper storeys of the mall when fire crews were slow in arriving to rescue them.
Flames gutted the four-storey complex after a smoker's discarded cigarette ignited flammable material in a store-room. Police have detained a 35-year-old man who is believed to have dropped the cigarette.
Wang Lin, vice-director of the Jilin Commercial Committee, told Xinhua the shopping centre owner would pay families of the dead compensation in two stages, with an initial payment of 50,000 yuan. The families will have to pay their own burial costs.
The injured would have their medical costs covered, Mr Wang said, and receive compensation, as would owners of businesses in the building.
The 14 people who suffered serious disabling injuries would get 80,000 yuan. Those with lesser injuries would be paid 30,000 to 50,000 yuan.
The 132 shop owners affected will be refunded a total of 500,000 yuan in tax payments, rent deposits and management fees.
Public anger remains high over the way local authorities handled the disaster.
Xinhua said in a separate report that the high death toll was partly due to the fact no one had raised the alarm. The fire was not reported for at least 30 minutes and the building's fire extinguishers were not used. Many of the injured suffered broken bones after leaping out of windows.
Investigators say blocked fire escapes, barred windows, an illegally built boiler room and a lack of safety measures contributed to the number of people killed.
The outrage over the disaster has brought unprecedented public apologies from the governor of Jilin province, Hong Hu, who has taken personal responsibility for what happened.
'As the first person responsible for production safety [in Jilin], it's my dereliction of duty. I didn't do the work well. It was a painful and profound lesson,' he said.
The fire, and a blaze on Sunday in a makeshift temple southwest of Shanghai that killed 40 women, prompted the central government to launch a safety campaign.
