A fire at a shoe factory in the south-eastern Chinese city of Jinjiang has killed at least 28 people, according to the state news agency. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

Dramatic footage posted by Xinhua showed huge flames and black smoke rising from a building as well as people who appeared to be trapped on the roof.

President Xi Jinping earlier said the fire had caused "significant casualties", indicating large numbers of people may be dead.

Fire and rescue teams sent 35 vehicles to the site and more than 180 officers, authorities said.

Jinjiang, in the province of Fujian, is often referred to as China's "shoe capital" as it is a major footwear manufacturing hub.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.