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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Top leaders concerned for safety of Chinese students in Moscow blaze

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have expressed concern for the Chinese students injured or missing in a fire at a Moscow university, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday.


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Moscow university fire kills 36
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have expressed concern for the Chinese students injured or missing in a fire at a Moscow university, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday.

At least 34 Chinese students were injured and 17 others are missing as a result of a blazing fire that raced through a dormitory in the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University in Moscow in the early hours of Monday morning.

President Hu Jintao showed deep concern for the safety of Chinese students. Hu instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Embassy in Moscow to keep close contact with their Russian counterparts to gather the details of the fire, and take prompt, effective measures to take care of and make proper arrangements for the injured Chinese students and to find those still missing as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao extended his cordial regards to the injured Chinese students, and urged the Chinese Embassy in Russia to do its the utmost to assist the Russian side in the rescue efforts.

The ministries of foreign affairs and education attach great importance to the issue and demand the Chinese embassy in Russia and other concerned departments to take quick actions to handle well the aftermath, an emergency statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

China's ambassador to Russia Liu Guchang, along with other staff, rushed to the university to help rescue the injured students and look for the missing, and went to the hospital to console the injured students, the statement said.

As of 5:00 p.m. Beijing Time, 17 Chinese students were missing and 34 were injured in the fire, according to the Chinese embassy in Russia. And the Chinese victims were still being identified.

At least 36 people were killed and about 200 injured in the fire, according to the latest reports.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway, said the Foreign Ministry statement.

The fire broke out in a dormitory of the university at about 2:50 a.m. local time (2250 GMT Sunday). The blaze spread to the second, third, fourth and fifth floors of the building where some 280 students from 106 countries study, and engulfed an area of over 1,000 square meters.

By People's Daily Online


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