At least 28 people have died in a fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday, according to Chinese state media. The latest in a string of deadly workplace accidents to rock the country this year, it prompted an immediate response from China’s leader.

据中国官方媒体报道，周四，中国东南部一家鞋厂发生火灾，已造成至少28人死亡。这是今年以来中国接连发生的一系列生产安全事故中的最新一起，也立即引起了中国最高领导层的回应。

President Xi Jinping of China issued a statement urging “all-out efforts” to rescue trapped survivors, uncover the fire’s cause and “hold those responsible accountable,” according to China’s state broadcaster, CCTV.

据中国官方电视台中央电视台报道，中国国家主席习近平作出指示，要求“全力”做好人员搜救，查明事故原因，并“严肃追责”。

Mr. Xi’s decision to quickly and personally issue the statement was significant. The Chinese government often keeps back details of accidents while it gathers information and prepares to issue a response. A statement by the leadership is often meant also as a signal to the authorities to commit resources to respond to the disaster.

习近平迅速亲自作出指示的举动意义重大。中国政府通常会在收集信息、准备好回应口径之前，不会立即披露事故的细节。最高领导人作出指示，往往同时也是向有关部门发出的信号，要求调拨资源全力应对灾情。

The fire broke out at noon local time at the factory in Jinjiang, a city in the province of Fujian that is colloquially called China’s shoe capital. There were 239 people at the scene, and 213 of them were evacuated from the site, the state news agency Xinhua reported.Video from Chinese state news media showed flames coming from the building’s top-floor windows and huge plumes of smoke over the multi-story complex. At least a dozen people appeared to be trapped on the roof. By around 5 p.m., the fire was mostly extinguished, according to The Beijing News, a Communist Party-controlled newspaper.

火灾于当地时间正午时分发生在福建晋江市的一家工厂。晋江素有“中国鞋都”之称。据中国官方通讯社新华社报道，事发时现场共有239人，其中213人已疏散撤离。中国官方媒体发布的画面显示，火焰从大楼顶层窗口窜出，滚滚浓烟笼罩着这栋大楼。至少有十余人似乎被困在屋顶。据中共下属媒体《新京报》的报道，截至下午5点左右，大火已基本扑灭。

China has a long history of deadly workplace accidents, though in the past decade, the government has tightened safety regulations and reduced the number of industrial disasters. In the first quarter of 2026, workplace accidents left 3,000 people dead or missing, according to government figures.

一直以来，中国的重大生产安全事故屡见不鲜，尽管过去十年间，政府加强了安全监管，事故数量有所下降。据政府数据显示，2026年一季度，生产安全事故已造成3000人死亡或失踪。

Mr. Xi acknowledged that there have been multiple major workplace accidents in China this year, and urged the country’s regions to learn from such episodes, coordinate response efforts and maintain vigilance about worker safety, according to Xinhua.

据新华社报道，习近平指出，今年以来，中国发生多起重大生产安全事故，并呼吁各地区各有关部门要深刻汲取教训，更好统筹发展和安全，时刻绷紧安全生产这根弦。

According to CCTV, the factory where the fire broke on Thursday belonged to a company called Fujian Huiteng Shoes. The person in charge of the company has been detained, and the company’s accounts have been frozen, according to Xinhua.

据央视报道，周四发生火灾的工厂属于福建辉腾鞋业有限公司。据新华社报道，该公司负责人已被警方控制，公司账户也已被冻结。

In May, an explosion at a coal mine in northern China killed 82 people, one of the deadliest mining disasters in years. Weeks earlier, an explosion at a fireworks factory in central China killed 26 people and left dozens injured, according to state media.

今年5月，中国北方一座煤矿发生爆炸，造成82人死亡，是近年来最为惨烈的矿难之一。据官方媒体报道，在此数周前，中国中部一家烟花厂发生爆炸，造成26人死亡，数十人受伤。

And in November, a blaze that ripped through a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong killed at least 161 people, making it the deadliest fire in the city since 1948.

去年11月，香港一高层住宅小区发生火灾，造成至少161人死亡，成为香港自1948年以来死亡人数最多的火灾。