Eight children die in care home

Eight disabled children suffocated in bed at a care home in China after their quilts caught fire from a burning anti-mosquito coil.

The children were discovered early this morning by a nurse who saw smoke coming from their room at the home in Huizhou City in southern Guangdong province.

The children, aged five to nine, were either blind, physically or mentally disabled.

An initial investigation indicated the children died of smoke inhalation after a blanket fell on the mosquito coil.

The children had been sleeping two to a bed, and the room’s windows and doors were closed because of the cold weather.

Provincial governor Huang Hua Hua has called for an investigation and promised severe punishment for those responsible for the negligence.