A total of 16 people suffered burn injuries during the Torch Festival at a village in Xuanwei, in Yunnan province, on Aug 6, according to a notice released by the Information Office of the People’s Government of Xuanwei on Aug 8.
At around 8.30pm on Aug 6, villagers in Jianwen village held celebrations for the Torch Festival. While they were igniting torches with flammable liquid, a plastic bucket containing the liquid tipped over accidentally and caught fire, leaving 16 people with varying degrees of burns.
Authorities in Xuanwei dispatched staff from the health, emergency management and public security departments to treat the injured and maintain public order.
All injured were reported to be in a stable condition in hospital.
The Torch Festival is a major tradition of the Yi people, as well as the Bai, Naxi, Lahu and other ethnic groups in south-western China’s Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. It is celebrated during the sixth month of the traditional Chinese calendar.
The event expresses their wishes for good weather, abundant harvests and the well-being of their communities. — China Daily/ANN
