12 people detained after Beijing Changfeng Hospital fire causes 29 deaths

(ECNS) -- Twelve people, including the president and vice president of Beijing Changfeng Hospital, have been detained on suspicion of major liabilities after a hospital fire caused 29 deaths.

The fire broke out at about 12:57 p.m. on Tuesday and 71 patients had been evacuated and transferred, an official said at a news conference at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Twenty-six of the victims were patients and the other, were medical workers and a family member of one victim.

Officials from the fire department said at the news conference that the cause of the accident is preliminarily due to the renovation of the building.

According to Tianyancha, a Chinese corporate information provider, Beijing Changfeng Hospital was established in 2009 with a registered capital of more than 145 million yuan (about $70 million).

According to the official WeChat account of the hospital, Changfeng Hospital Group has opened hospitals in 20 cities including Shanghai, Nanning in Jiangsu Province, Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Hefei in Anhui Province and Changsha in Hunan Province.

Beijing Changfeng Hospital is located in Fengtai District. The investigation is going on.