At least 39 people died and nine were injured in a fire in Xinyu city in Jiangxi province, state media reported on Wednesday.

The fire broke out at around 3pm in the basement of a shop in Yushui district.

Officials said rescue teams, firefighters and police officers were immediately deployed to the scene.

Authorities said some people were still trapped.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

President Xi Jinping called for "resolute containment" of accidents in the country.

Xi "issued important instructions... requiring resolute containment of the frequent occurrence of various safety accidents to ensure the security of people's lives and property and overall social stability", CCTV reported.

Video footage released by CCTV of the scene showed several fire trucks and other emergency response vehicles lined up across the street from a row of businesses.

Footage from the scene shared on social media showed huge clouds of smoke billowing into the sky as crowds of people looked on from a distance.

Emergency response vehicles could be seen nearby as security staff told people not to go any nearer. (AFP/Xinhua)
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Last updated: 2024-01-24 HKT 22:05