6 officials suspended after central China orphanage deaths

Six officials have been suspended from their posts after a fire in an unlicensed orphanage killed seven people in central China's Henan Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The government of Lankao county has suspended the county's top civil affairs official Yang Peimin and five other officials for further investigation, sources with the county's publicity department said.

Seven people, including six children and one 20-year-old man, died Friday morning in the fire at the unregistered orphanage, owned by local resident Yuan Lihai.

All the deceased were orphans or abandoned children who were adopted by Yuan. They were left at home unattended when the fire broke out, as Yuan was taking other older children to school.