Porn video parlour's door locked as 74 died in fire

The owner of the video parlour where 74 people were killed in a fire early on Wednesday locked the door to avoid police raids during pornographic video shows, according to mainland media.

The victims failed to escape as the main entrance of Tiantang Cinema - known for showing pornographic videos in the early morning - was locked from the outside when the fire broke out, according to the Yangcheng Evening News yesterday, adding it explained the unusually high death toll.

It said there were about 90 people - mostly migrant workers - in the cinema in Jiaozuo city, Henan, when the fire erupted at 3am. Only a few could escape by pushing open a side door leading to a cinema next door.

Many members of the audience who fell asleep in the boxes were choked to death without even attempting to escape, the paper quoted witnesses as saying.

It said the owner of the video parlour was confirmed dead. As of yesterday only three victims had had their identity confirmed by relatives, as most of the dead were migrant workers from outside the city.

A city government spokesman said the only person injured in the fire was now in serious condition in the Coal Mining Bureau Hospital, but declined to confirm his identity.