38 killed in fire at rest home in China

The Associated Press reports that a fire that swept through a rest home in central China, has killed 38 people and injured another six; with two of the injured being in serious condition.

The New York Times says that the fire allegedly broke out on Monday night in an apartment building being used as a privately run rest home in the city of Pingdingshan in Henan province.

China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that a rescue operation was still underway Tuesday morning and that the cause of the fire was as yet unclear.

Local news agencies say that the building housed some 51 elderly people and quoted one survivor, 82-year-old Zhao Yulan, as saying only two of the 11 people living in her room made it out alive. Some of the remains of people killed in the fire were burned beyond recognition, Xinhua added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged rescue personnel to urgently aid the injured and victims' families and determine the cause of the fire as well as who was responsible, according to international reports.

With a rapidly aging population and under-resourced social security net, China faces increasing pressure to provide safe and affordable care for the elderly.

In 2013, a disgruntled resident set fire to a rest home in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, killing himself and 10 others, although the causes of this fire remain unknown so far.