Firefighters battle deadly blaze in China shoe factory

Chinese fire and rescue personnel raced Thursday to extinguish a deadly fire at a shoe factory, authorities said, with people feared trapped inside hours after the blaze broke out.

Authorities have not said how many people may have been injured or killed, but President Xi Jinping said the fire at the Huiteng Shoes factory in the country's east resulted in "heavy human losses".

Footage shared by state television CCTV showed firefighters dousing the facade and interior of a large, multi-story white building with fire hoses, as thick black smoke pours out.

People can be seen taking refuge near the windows and on the roof of the building, while the blaze rages in the lower floors.

The fire broke out at the factory in Jinjiang city, Fujian province, around noon (0400 GMT), the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement, adding that fire and rescue teams dispatched 183 people and 35 vehicles to the scene.

Xi, in remarks carried by state news agency Xinhua, said there were "heavy human losses" and called for increased search and rescue efforts.

Live footage aired by CCTV showed the charred multi-story building with thick grey smoke billowing from broken windows.

"The cause of the accident should be identified as soon as possible and... those responsible must be strictly held accountable," Xi said.

The blaze was being extinguished, the emergency management ministry said, demanding "all-out" efforts to put it out, search for trapped survivors and treat the injured.

Some people were trapped and "out of contact", Xinhua said.

China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings in November, after a huge blaze engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing 168 people.

A month later, a fire at a residential building in southern China's Guangdong province killed 12 people.