Deadly factory fire, PLA jet crash strike Shantou
Blaze at factory thought to be arson; no deaths as PLA fighter strikes house, but chaos for locals
Twin disasters befell Shantou in Guangdong yesterday, as 14 young women died in a factory fire and an army jet crashed, injuring four people.
The deadly fire broke out at a lingerie factory in Chaonan district around 3.30pm, Xinhua reported. As well as those killed, at least one person was injured.
Officials were unable to confirm the cause of the blaze, but the website of The Southern Metropolis Daily reported allegations that a disgruntled worker started the fire after locking the factory gates, because of a salary dispute. The women who died were aged between 18 and 20, the website said.
Hours before the fire, a People's Liberation Army fighter jet crashed in Shantou some time after 9 am, injuring four people on the ground and causing a massive traffic jam, state media reported.
The PLA Jian-7 fighter crashed into a farmhouse in Shantou's Jinping district, close to the city's border with Chaozhou , the semi-official China News Agency reported. The pilot ejected and landed safely, but four residents were injured in a resulting fire.
Pictures posted online by witnesses showed thick black smoke shrouding the residential area, and the wreckage of a Jian-7 tail bearing PLA Air Force markings lying between a two-storey building and a farmhouse, which were ablaze.