At least 28 people have died in a factory fire in China’s ‘shoe capital’.

At least 28 people died in a fire at a shoe factory in the southeastern Chinese city of Jinjiang, state news agency reported.

Dramatic footage posted by Xinhua shows thick black smoke billowing from the building and people who appear to be trapped on the roof.

President Xi Jinping said the fire had caused “extreme damage” and said those responsible should be “strictly prosecuted”.

Located in Fujian Province, Jinjiang is known as the “Shoe Capital” of China as it is reported to produce 20% of the world’s sports shoes.

The fire broke out at the Huitong footwear factory at around noon (05:00 BST) on Thursday.

Hundreds of rescue workers were rushed to the scene, state broadcaster CCTV reported, and more than 200 people were evacuated from the area.

It is not clear how many were injured.

Authorities sent more than 500 workers to put out the fire and rescue people, state media reported.

State media reported that there were about 240 people at the factory when the fire broke out.

Two of the 213 people released later died in hospital. 26 people who were initially missing were found dead.

According to initial information, the fire may have started on the floor of the factory where flammable materials were stored.

Authorities arrested several people working for the factory’s owners and the company’s bank accounts were frozen, state media reported.

After the fire, China launched a campaign to prevent fires in high-rise buildings. In November, he demolished several Hong Kong apartment buildingsHe killed 168 people.

Xi said Chinese authorities should take deep lessons from the “several major industrial safety incidents” that have occurred in the country this year.

“Strong and effective security measures” should be implemented, he said.