JILIN, Jilin Province, Feb. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Family members have claimed 50 out of the 53 bodies in the shopping center fire that happened in northeast China's Jilin Province Sunday, according to the local authorities.

    Of the 70 injured in the fire, 14 are still in critical conditions after breathing poisonous chemical gas during the blaze,and are under 24-hour medical monitoring conducted by a special team of experts.

    To date, all the victims have been out of danger, although one of them has been diagnosed as badly disabled by orthopedic doctorsat the No. 2 Hospital attached to Jilin University.

    A sufficient supply of blood for transfusions has been ensured at the local hospitals, which have been ordered to treat any person injured in the fire, regardless of the cost.

    The blaze, believed to be China's most devastating accident of its kind in 2004, started at 11:20 a.m. Sunday on the second floorof the city's Zhongbai Shopping Mall, where many people were doingweekend shopping.

    A preliminary investigation showed that the fire had started ina temporary storehouse near a boiler room.

    The fire-fighting apparatus was also found to be not properly utilized to fight the blaze, and some emergency exits in the building were locked at the time of the fire.

    The local police have questioned 36 people, and eventually identified eight people as needing to undergo further investigation.

    The local authorities have demanded immediate improvement in safety in public places, and have launched a campaign to root out hidden hazards.

    Built in the 1990s, the four-story building at a downtown crossroads linking two major streets accommodated 111 shops and 132 shopkeepers, who have reported a total property loss of 3.2 million yuan (about 385,000 US dollars). Enditem