A fire at a shoe factory in the south-eastern Chinese city of Jinjiang has killed at least 28 people, according to the state news agency.
Dramatic footage posted by Xinhua showed huge plumes of black smoke rising from a building as well as people who appeared to be trapped on the roof.
President Xi Jinping said the blaze had caused “major casualties”, adding those responsible must be held “strictly accountable”.
Jinjiang, in the province of Fujian, is often referred to as China’s “shoe capital” as it reportedly manufactures 20% of the world’s sports shoes.
The blaze erupted at the Huiteng Footwear factory at around noon local time (05:00 BST) on Thursday.
It is unclear how many were injured.
Authorities dispatched more than 500 personnel to extinguish the blaze and rescue people, state media reported.
State media also reported that there were nearly 240 people at the factory when the fire broke out.
Among the 213 people who were evacuated, two of them later died in hospital. Twenty-six others, who had been initially missing, were found dead.
Initial reports suggest the fire may have started on the factory’s ground floor where flammable materials were stored.
Authorities have detained a number of people who work for the factory’s owners, and the firm’s bank account was frozen, according to state media.
China started a campaign to prevent fires in high-rise buildings after a blaze ripped through several Hong Kong apartment buildings in November, killing 168 people.
Xi said Chinese officials must draw “profound lessons” from “several major industrial safety accidents” in the country this year.
He said “rigorous and effective safety measures” must be implemented.
