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One dead in arson attack on Wenzhou elderly centre 'over card game'

One person was killed and 13 injured in an arson attack at a Wenzhou recreation centre for old people, less than 24 hours after a similar incident at a Heilongjiang nursing home.

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The interior of a burned retiree entertainment centre in Wenzhou. Photo: Xinhua
He Huifengin Guangdong

One person was killed and 13 injured in an arson attack at a Wenzhou recreation centre for old people, less than 24 hours after a similar incident at a Heilongjiang nursing home.

The fire ripped through the two-storey centre in Wenzhou's Lucheng district at 8.40pm on Friday as many old people were playing cards and mahjong, the Wenzhou Economic Daily reported. All of the victims were locals.

Wenzhou police have detained a 55-year-old man for questioning. Witnesses said he had argued over a card game three days earlier and he was seen rushing into the building with a bottle containing a liquid that smelled like petrol.

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Locals gather outside a burned retiree entertainment center in Wenzhou. Photo: Xinhua
Locals gather outside a burned retiree entertainment center in Wenzhou. Photo: Xinhua
Meanwhile, four officials have been sacked as a result of the Heilongjiang nursing home fire that left 11 dead early on Friday.

Wang Wenhe , director and party chief of the Hailun Civil Affairs Bureau, his deputy, Zhang Shoulin , Li Kezhi , the director of the Hailun United Nursing Home, and his deputy, Li Yan , were sacked. They are being investigated by police and party disciplinary authorities.

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It is believed nursing home resident Wang Gui , 45, lit the fire because he was angry some money had gone missing. He and 10 elderly patients died in the blaze.

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