Police detains woman suspect wanted for hotel fire in China

BEIJING: A woman suspect wanted for the last week's deadly hotel fire in China's Heilongjiang province was detained today by the police, according to a media report.

Twenty people were killed and 23 others injured when a fire broke out early in the morning on August 25 in the four-storeyed Beilong Hot Spring Hotel at Harbin.

The public security bureau in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, detained a female suspect Li Yanbin wanted in connection with the hotel fire, the state-run China Daily reported.

Police had offered a reward of up to 300,000 yuan (USD 44,000) to those providing information about 52-year-old Li, a native of Harbin, it said.

Police, however, did not gave details about her alleged connection with the incident, the report said.

Meanwhile, the fire incident victims have been identified as members of a group of tourists from Beijing. The company which had organised their tour, Beijing Jiufangyuyue Commercial and Trading Company identified them.

"All the victims were the member of a tour group we organised, consisting of three staff members and 88 seniors," Zhao Chunlan, the legal representative of the company, was quoted as saying in the report.

"The 12 women and eight men are all Beijing residents, age between 59 and 85 year," Zhao said.

The group started its 10-day trip from Beijing on August 16 and it was to conclude on August 25 in Harbin.

The blaze at the four-storeyed Beilong Hot Spring Hotel started in the early hours and firefighters evacuated more than 80 people and rescued 20 others who had been trapped.

The firefighters found 19 bodies from the hotel. An injured person later died in a hospital.