5 killed in warehouse blaze

    The death toll* of a fire in Heilongjiang Province climbed to five as the bodies of two missing firefighters were found, local authorities said on Saturday.

    In total, five firefighters were killed and another 14 injured in the warehouse* blaze* in Harbin City, capital of Heilongjiang Province.

    The firemen were buried by debris while trying to put out the fire, which burned down the third floor of the warehouse at the Beifangnanxun Ceramics Market on January 2.

    Stampede victims verified

    Shanghai authorities have verified and unveiled the identities of all 36 victims killed in the Bund* New Year’s Eve stampede*, the government’s press office said on Saturday.

    According to the victim list, 34 were residents of the Chinese mainland, one was from Taiwan and one was a Malaysian citizen.

    The youngest victim was 12 years old and the oldest was 37 years old.

    Family of executed man compensated

    The family of a young man wrongly executed* for a rape and murder in Inner Mongolia 18 years ago has been paid 2.05 million yuan (US$330,645) in compensation*.

    Huugjilt was executed in 1996 for the rape and murder of a woman in Hohhot. He was 18.

    The statement said that his family would be paid more than 1.04 million yuan for the death and funeral fees, 1 million yuan for “emotional damages” and 12,041 yuan in compensation for their son’s loss of personal freedom in the 60 days of his detention before his execution.

    Suicide attempts

    Twelve people were prevented from committing suicide on Sunday morning in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, local authorities said.

    They intended to jump from the top of the local development and reform commission government building at around 10 a.m. According to the local authorities, they were seeking government intervention* after Ma Aibin, the boss of Shanxi Heli venture capital firm, took off with their investment money.(SD-Agencies)