Shanghai prosecutors indict 26 suspects in deadly 2010 fire

A procuratorate in Shanghai has indicted 26 suspects for their roles in a high-rise building fire that left 58 people dead and 71 others injured last year. The suspects were prosecuted on four charges, including misuse of authority and offering and accepting bribes, said a spokesman with the No. 2 Branch of the Shanghai Municipal People's Procuratorate on Friday. The suspects included Gao Weizhong and Yao Yaming, who were head and deputy head, respectively, of the construction and transport committee of Jing'an district, where the blaze occurred, said the spokesman. Another 28, including Vice Mayor Shen Jun, have received administrative penalties or demerits in line with discipline of the Communist Party of China, the city government said early this month. The November 2010 fire gutted a 28-story apartment building on Jiaozhou Road. The building was under renovation at the time. The blaze was started by sparks from welding torches, which ignited nylon netting and scaffolding.