Death toll in skyscraper blaze hits 42

SHANGHAI, China — Flames engulfed a high-rise apartment building in Shanghai on Monday, killing 42 people, injuring dozens more and forcing some residents to jump from their windows to escape, according to reports.

The building in the Jing'an District of the Chinese city was being renovated when a fire broke out at 2 p.m. local time (1 a.m. ET), the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xinhua said the flames quickly spread from scaffolding to the skyscraper, which housed many retired teachers.

The fire appeared to have been put out about six hours later, and firefighters could be seen removing bodies from the building.

The death toll was initially put at eight, but later a state news agency reported that 42 people had been killed.

A firefighter told The Associated Press that people were still trapped in the building, but he did not know how many. He would not give his name, as is common with Chinese officials.

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