Fire at shopping mall in China's Sichuan Province kills 16 people

Beijing: Sixteen people were killed after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The incident occurred on Wednesday around 6 pm at the 14-story building, located in a high-tech zone in the city of Zigong, Sichuan province, according to Chinese state media.

Dramatic images and videos showed a huge column of black smoke billowing from the building. Several people were also seen gathered on a balcony.

The rescue operation was completed on Thursday. Around 75 people who were trapped inside the building were evacuated, the local fire department said.

A total of 16 people have been killed, and the rest were evacuated from the building, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the preliminary investigations, the fire was caused by construction work, the report added.

China's Ministry of Emergency Management and National Fire and Rescue Administration said it has dispatched a working team to investigate the incident.

Fire experts from across the country will also be sent to participate in the accident investigation, the Ministry said.

China continues to witness major fire accidents despite the directives from President Xi Jinping to implement strict preventive measures for provincial governments.

Officials say the number of fire accidents in public places like hotels and restaurants was due to faulty electrical and gas pipelines.

Thirty-nine people were killed when a fire broke out in a commercial building in the Chinese province of Jiangxi in January this year.

Fifteen people were killed in a fire at a residential building in Nanjing city in the following month.