BEIJING: A total of 10 people were killed and several others injured in 3,351 fire accidents during China's traditional festival Tomb-Sweeping Day, the government said today.
During the three-day holiday which ended today, police responded to 8,164 fire alarms, rescuing 745 people in danger, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.
Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, is the most important occasion for Chinese to honour their ancestors by burning joss sticks and paper money. Authorities sent more than 14,000 inspection teams and located over 73,000 hidden dangers of fire during the period, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
A total of 17,000 vehicles and 92,000 firefighters were sent to put out fire.
Nearly 14.56 million Chinese visited 150 major cemeteries to honour their deceased relatives during the holiday, the ministry said.