17 dead in China restaurant fire

The fire out at 12:40 pm local time in a restaurant in the city of Changchun, the local government said in a statement released on the Weibo social media platform.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and completed search and rescue work by 3 pm, the statement said.

“The injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment,” it added.

An İnvestigation has been launched into the incident, authorities said. (ILKHA)