[originaltext] At least eighty-one people are reported to have died during a

At least eighty-one people are reported to have died during a fire in a handicraft factory in southern China. As we hear from VOA’s Max Rusten many of those killed are reported to have been unable to leave the building because of locked doors and windows. "Beijing-backed newspapers say most of the victims died of suffocation as they tried to escape from a three-storey a few kilometers from China’s border with Hong Kong. They say factory managers locked windows to guard a gainst theft and failed to meet demands from fire authorities for improved safety standards. Strong winds made it difficult for fire-fighters to put it out. Most of those killed are reported to have been young women. The fire is the latest in a series of fire-related accidents in southern China. Fourteen people died in a fire in an overcrowded dormitory last month. At least fifteen people were killed in an explosion at a dangerous goods ware house earlier in the year. Observers in Hong Kong say rapid economic growth in southern China, particularly in the manufacturing industry, has out paced the government’s ability to maintain adequate safety standards. Max Rusten, VOA news, Hong Kong."