Fifteen killed in revellers use fireworks in bar

Revellers celebrating a birthday set off fireworks inside a bar in southern China, triggering a blaze that killed 15 people and injured 20.

The fire in Changle, a city in the southern province of Fujian, started just before midnight yesterday, when 10 people lit the fireworks at their table, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Fireworks are sold and set off everywhere during Lunar New Year festivities, which lasted all week and ended yesterday. Also known as Spring Festival, it is the country's biggest holiday.

A city government spokesman said it took 30 minutes to put out the fire and that 35 people were found in the bar. The 15 dead suffocated.

Three of the injured were in critical condition, while the other 17 were treated overnight at the Changle City Hospital.