13 students die in China school fire

Thirteen schoolchildren died in a dormitory fire in central China's Henan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

The blaze at the Yingcai School in Henan's Yanshanpu village was reported to the local fire department at 11:00 pm (1500 GMT) Friday night, Xinhua said.

Thirteen students were confirmed dead and one injured.

A teacher at the school told state-run Hebei Daily that all the victims were from the same third-grade class of nine and 10-year-olds..

Xinhua reported the flames had been extinguished by 11:40 pm on Friday night.

The injured survivor "is currently receiving treatment at the hospital and is in stable condition", according to the country's official news agency.