BEIJING: A restaurant fire in northeastern China killed 22 people and injured three on Tuesday, Beijing`s state media said, with footage posted online showing fierce flames engulfing the building.

The blaze erupted at lunchtime in Liaoyang city, about 580 kilometres northeast of the capital Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. `The incident has resulted in 22 deaths and three injuries,` it added.

Footage shared online and verified showed the inferno engulfing the twostorey restaurant and smoke billowing skyward.

Other authenticated videos published on Douyin, China`s version of TikTok, showed paramedics wheeling one victim on a stretcher into an ambulance and several firefighters battling the flames with hoses.

Another video from the social media platform shotfrom above the scene showed more than a dozen fire engines parked outside the restaurant.

The operator of the restaurant was taken into police custody, state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday evening. The report added that 22 firefighting vehicles and 85 firefighters had been dispatched to distinguish the blaze.

Rescue efforts have now concluded, Xinhua said, adding that all injured victims were in `stable condition`. `The cause of the fire is currently under investigation,` it added.

President Xi Jinping called for `every effort to treat the injured, properly handle the aftermath for the deceased and provide support to their families, swiftly determine the cause of the fire, and pursue accountability in accordance with the law, according to CCTV.-AFP