| Date | September 21, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Time | before midnight |
| Location | Shenzhen, People's Republic of China |
| Casualties | |
| 43 dead[1][2] | |
| 88 injured | |
The Wuwang Club fire is a fire incident that occurred in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China on September 21, 2008.
Contents |
Incident
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This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (January 2009) |
A fire broke out just before midnight on September 21 at the packed "King of the Dancers Club" according to an official with the Shenzhen Work Safety Bureau.[1] The nightclub was operating without a building license and was not built according to building codes, because of government corruption. The fire was started by a floorshow stunt involving fireworks 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 that was not displayed 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 there are 5 people from Hong Kong, a 40-year old man who works in mainland China and 4 18-year old teenagers. The latter were going to celebrate the birthday of one of them.
Aftermath
Video footage aired Sunday by Hong Kong's Asia Television Limited 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
- Rhythm Nightclub fire 23 April 1940; Natchez, Mississippi, United States; 209 dead
- Cocoanut Grove fire 28 November 1942; Boston, Massachusetts, United States; 492 dead
- Summerland Leisure Centre fire 2 August 1973; Douglas, Isle of Man; 51 dead
- Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 28 May 1977; Southgate, Kentucky, United States; 165 dead
- Stardust fire 14 February 1981; Dublin, Ireland; 48 dead
- Alcalá 20 Nightclub fire 17 December 1983; Madrid, Spain; 82 dead
- HappyLand fire 25 March 1990; New York City, New York, United States; 87 dead
- Kheyvis Nightclub fire 20 December 1993; Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 17 dead
- Ozone Disco Club fire 18 March 1996; Quezon City, Philippines; 162 dead
- Gothenburg Nightclub fire 29 October 1998; Gothenburg, Sweden; 63 dead
- Luoyang Christmas fire 25 December 2000; Luoyang, People's Republic of China; 309 dead
- E2 Nightclub stampede 17 February 2003; Chicago, Illinois, United States; 21 dead
- The Station Nightclub fire 20 February 2003; West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States; 100 dead
- Cro-magnon Republic Nightclub fire 30 December 2004; Buenos Aires, Argentina; 194 dead
- Bangkok Nightclub fire 1 January 2009; Watthana, Bangkok, Thailand; 61 dead
External links
References
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