Wuwang Club fire

Wuwang Club fire
Date September 21, 2008 (2008-09-21)
Location Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
Coordinates 22°33′30″N 114°03′14″E / 22.5583°N 114.054°E / 22.5583; 114.054Coordinates: 22°33′30″N 114°03′14″E / 22.5583°N 114.054°E / 22.5583; 114.054
Type Fire
Cause Ignition of flammable ceiling by use of pyrotechnics
Deaths 43
Non-fatal injuries 88

The Wuwang Club fire was a fire incident that occurred in Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China on September 21, 2008.

Incident

A fire broke out just before midnight on September 21 at the packed "King of the Dancers Club" (S: 舞王俱乐部, P: Wǔ Wáng Jùlèbù) according to an official with the Shenzhen Work Safety Bureau.[1] The fire was started by a floorshow stunt involving pyrotechnics that ignited the ceiling, plunging the club into darkness and causing the club-goers to panic and stampede towards the exits. The windows were boarded up and there was only one exit with a lit exit sign.

There were 308 people present in the club. Most of the deaths were caused by the crush of the stampede. Among the casualties were 5 people from Hong Kong, a 40-year-old man who worked in mainland China and four 18-year-olds; the latter group was celebrating a birthday of one of their peers.

The nightclub was operating without a building license and was not built according to building codes.

Aftermath

Video footage aired Sunday by Hong Kong's Asia Television showed the smoke-filled nightclub after the fire. Overturned tables, broken glass and shoes littered the floor.

Guangdong's provincial governor, Huang Huahua, blamed poor ventilation for the deaths citing something wrong with the architectural design. According to Hong Kong's RTHK 13 people were detained.[1] Six people, including Wang Jing, president of the club, Zhang Wei, ex-husband of Wang and co-founder of the club, and four others of the club's management group, were charged with negligence and violation of safety rules. Another six people have been charged with harboring criminals, according to police.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Blaze in Chinese dance club kills 44". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  2. ↑ Hong, Chen (2008-09-27). "13 arrested over fire in Shenzhen nightclub". China Daily. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
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