A private nursing home in central China's Henan Province was burnt to ashes. (File photo/China News Service)
Twenty-one people have been jailed for their roles in a fire at a private nursing home in central China's Henan Province that killed 39 elderly people.
Three courts in Pingdingshan city, including Lushan County People's Court, gave their rulings Thursday.
Fan Huazhi, legal representative of the Kangleyuan Nursing Home in Lushan County, which had been illegally extended, received a prison term of nine years, according to court verdict.
Contractor Feng Chunjie, who did not have the appropriate work certificate and used flammable materials on the extension, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
The other defendants, including nursing home managers, firefighting officers and related government workers, received jail terms ranging from two-and-a-half to eight years.
The fire broke out at the nursing home on May 25, 2015, killing 39 and injuring another six. Direct economic losses reached 20.6 million yuan (3.11 million U.S. dollars).
