Beijing: At least 92 people were killed and 75 others injured today (Feb 15, 2004) in two major fire accidents in China at a busy shopping mall in Northeast China's Jilin province and a temple, police said.

The first fire occurred at a four-storey building at 11:20 hours (08:50 hours IST) on the second floor of Jilin city's Zhongbai shopping mall where many people were busy with their weekend shopping.

Of the 71 injured people, 13 were in critical condition, while 23 among the dead were females, doctors said.

So far 120 people were rescued with rescue workers and fire fighters still searching for survivors, Xinhua news agency reported.

About 260 firefighters and 60 fire engines put out the fire after over six hours, State media reported from Jilin.

A special investigation team headed by Sun Huashan, deputy director of the State administration of work safety, also rushed from Beijing to the fire scene.

Preliminary investigation indicated the fire started from a temporary storehouse at the building's rear, close to a boiler room, and local police had summoned 36 people, including the Center's security officers and the worker in the boiler room for questioning.

Built in the 1990s, the four-storey shopping centre at a downtown crossroads linking two major streets accommodates 111 shops and about 120 shopkeepers within an area of some 4,000 square meters.