Beijing [China], Apr. 5 : China's Public Security Ministry has said that at least 10 people were killed in 3,351 fire accidents across the country during the tomb-sweeping festival that ended on Tuesday.
Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying in a statement that 745 people were rescued by the police while responding to 8,164 fire alarms during the three-day festival.
Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, is the most important occasion for Chinese to remember and honour their ancestors at the grave sites.
Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper, and/or libations to the ancestors.
According to the ministry's statement, the authorities at various levels located over 73,000 hidden dangers of fire during the festival by sending more than 14,000 inspection teams to different areas.
The statement said a total of 17,000 vehicles and 92,000 firefighters were sent to put out fire at different spots during the period.
China's Civil Affairs Ministry said that about 14.56 million Chinese visited 150 major cemeteries to honour their deceased relatives during the festival.
Source: ANI
