A fire at a shoe factory in the south-eastern Chinese city of Jinjiang has killed at least 28 people, according to the state news agency.
Dramatic footage posted by Xinhua showed flames and huge plumes of black smoke rising from a building as well as people who appeared to be trapped on the roof.
President Xi Jinping earlier said the fire had caused "significant casualties", indicating large numbers of people may be dead.
Jinjiang, in the province of Fujian, is often referred to as China's "shoe capital" as it is a major footwear manufacturing hub.
The blaze erupted at the Huiteng Footwear factory at around noon local time (05:00 BST) on Thursday.
State broadcaster CCTV reports that 500 rescue workers were rushed to the scene.
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