Ankara asks Beijing to explain deadly fire in Xinjiang

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has asked China to inform the public about the reasons behind the fire that killed at least 10 people and injured nine others in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“We expect the reasons behind the fire to be made public,” a written statement by the Foreign Ministry on Nov. 26 read, following the news that fire killed civilians in Uyghur.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that a fire, which broke out in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, caused loss of lives and injuries. We extend our condolences and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” the ministry noted.

The fire broke out on the 15th floor of an apartment in Uyghur, which is under strict coronavirus lockdown. The fire and loss of lives have triggered protests in the region with criticism against the government for imposing harsh quarantine without delivering proper services.

China has long been accused of imposing assimilatory policies in the Uyghur Autonomous Region, whose population is overwhelmingly Muslim.