Fire eruptes at 1 pm; the floor collapses when rescue operations are underway on second floor
Harbin: Last night, a warehouse collapsed in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin and killed five firefighters and injured 13 others.
The bodies of two firefighters who had been out of contact were accounted for, increasing the death toll to five in the northern Heilongjiang province tragedy, the local media reported.
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A security guard is also thought to have been injured in the blaze at the Beifangnanxun ceramics market warehouse, but the report is yet to be confirmed.
Three of the injured rescued from the site remain in critical condition.
The fire erupted around 1 pm. Firefighters had moved on to the second floor to clear paper and plastics inside and to douse flames above them when the floor collapsed. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. — Agencies