Two separate fires in China killed at least 90 people

Only hours later at least 39 pilgrims died and four were injured when a temple in eastern Zhejiang province’s Haining city caught fire around2 :15pm, the Xinhua news agency said.

The causes of the fires are still unknown.

The earlier fire occurred at a five-storey Zhongbai department store in the city of Jilin around11 :20am, officials said.

"The fire began on the first floor," Fang Wangyan, spokesman for the Jilin city fire department, said.

"A lot of people on the lower floors got out but many others tried to escape by going upstairs where the smoke became very thick."

He said the cause of the blaze was being investigated.

"There were a lot of people injured and many are in serious condition so it is hard to say what the exact toll is.

"Over 50 have died and more than 60 were injured. The number of fatalities could rise," he added.

Jilin city television station put the death toll at51 , while Xinhua said some 120 people had been pulled from the fire and 71 had been injured.

State television showed pictures of the firemen hosing the building with water as thick clouds of smoked billowed from the windows.

The city of over four million people lies some900 km northeast of China’s capital of Beijing.

Some 60 firetrucks and over 260 firemen fought the blaze for three hours before the inferno was put out, Fang said.

Ambulances from throughout the city were brought in for rescue operations, while the wounded were sent to a number of city hospitals.

Many of the wounded were injured after jumping from the burning building, while others received serious burns and inhalation injuries, a nurse at the emergency room of the city’s Number Three Hospital said.

"Our hospital was the closest to the fire, so a lot of the wounded were sent here," the nurse, surnamed Ji, said.