Negligence blamed for fatal fire: official(2)

"The company's management of employees was chaotic. No training, no drills. Many people died near the gate," Yang said.

"It's too early to say for certain whether the emergency exits were locked or not. But one thing is for sure: they could not be opened," he said.

"Hundreds of workers were gathered in two large workshops where there were not sufficient safety measures," he said, adding that the workshops had serious design problems.

Yang said the accident also demonstrated that local governments and relevant authorities failed to fulfill their supervisory responsibilities.

"Governments at all levels must pay high attention to work safety," he warned.

Bayanqolu, governor of Jilin, was deputy head of the investigatory work team. He said there are many loopholes in the government's work safety supervision efforts.

"The company emphasized production and efficiency but neglected safety and workers' lives, causing irreversible losses," the governor said.

"As governor, I feel deeply guilty," he said.

Yang asked the work team to look into the exact cause of the accident and hold those responsible accountable.

The company's board chairman, Jia Yushan, as well as its general manager, Zhang Yushen, have been detained by police.

The firm's assets have been frozen and all of its licenses have been revoked, according to Yang.

Yang has also called for safety checks in multiple industries across the country, including the notoriously dangerous mining, transportation and chemical manufacturing sectors.