Disco-fire trial begins in China

Defendants face a wide variety of charges

Twenty-three people have gone on trial in central China in connection with a huge fire at a disco last year in which 309 people died.

Local officials plus staff at the building face numerous charges, including negligence and abuse of power.

The fire happened at a commercial building in Luoyang in Henan province in December. It started in the basement and then thick smoke spread to the disco on the fourth floor.

The disco was gutted but most victims died from smoke inhalation

The official media in China said it was one of the worst fires in the country's recent history and had shocked the nation.

Most of the victims suffocated from smoke inhalation.

Among those on trial are four welders accused of starting the blaze by igniting piles of rags in the basement.

Investigators at the time of the blaze last December said stray sparks from welding set fire to cloth and furniture stored in the basement.

They said say one welder had been operating equipment in violation of regulations.

The official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, the People's Daily, said on Monday the four failed to extinguish the fire, "took to their heels from the scene" and made a pact to keep silent.

Local safety inspectors are also accused of negligence.

Poor safety standards

Lax fire safety standards lead to thousands of deaths in China each year.

Relatives had to identify victims from photographs

The Luoyang dance hall had only two emergency exits, one hidden behind the bar. There were no sprinklers or smoke alarms.

Immediately after December's fire, the government ordered the closure of dance halls and recreation centres which had inadequate safety equipment.

It also called for checks for potential fire hazards in other public buildings, including hospitals and schools.

The nightclub fire was China's worst such disaster since December 1994, when 324 people, mostly children, were killed in a concert hall in Xinjiang.