Society

Relatives mourn victims of Shanghai high-rise blaze

By Wu Yiyao (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-06 07:48

SHANGHAI - Tearful family members and friends on Tuesday mourned loved ones at the site of last year's high-rise apartment inferno that claimed 58 lives and injured more than 100.

Relatives and friends of the victims who died in the high-rise building fire in Shanghai on Nov 15 last year hold a memorial ceremony on Tuesday, Tomb-Sweeping Day, at the site of the accident. [Gao Erqiang / China Daily]

The ceremony started at 10 am as family members laid flowers and wreaths outside the charred frame of the 28-story apartment building in Jing'an district of Shanghai.

They also left a note requesting timely compensation.

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The blaze on Nov 15 was started by unlicensed welders who ignited nylon netting while renovating the building.

At the site on Tuesday, Tomb-Sweeping Day, people burned incense, candles and paper money in memory of the deceased.

Bouquets of chrysanthemum and lily were laid on the ground in the shape of a heart to express condolences and grief.

A banner reading "the perished always live in memories" hung over a fence outside the remains of the building.

A group of 26 people consisting of victims of the blaze, along with their friends and relatives, signed the note asking for compensation.

It said no official compensation has been given to survivors and family members of those who died except a small stipend for daily necessities.

Residents said they are still waiting for the government to issue a schedule to value possessions inside the burnt apartment building. The values will be used as the basis for compensation.

Wang Hong lost many inscriptions, paintings and calligraphy works inherited from his grandfather, one of founders of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts in the early 20th century.

The artworks damaged in the fire are rare and precious and cannot be restored, and so should not be appraised by companies without proper expertise, said Wang.

The State Council's investigation team is continuing to work on the case. As many as 24 people may face prosecution for the part they are suspected of playing in the blaze.