Five people under investigation in a bid to assign responsibility for a blaze in which 16 people were killed in an agricultural market in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, have been detained, Nanfang Daily reported.

The newspaper did not reveal who the five are.

The fire was found to have been caused by a short circuit in power supply lines, the newspaper said.

The market was found to contain much unauthorized construction and facilities, and the people responsible will be considered responsible for the fire.

The blaze took place in Rongjian agricultural bazaar in Shenzhen's Gongming district on Dec 11. Sixteen people, including a 5-year-old girl, were killed and another five were injured in the fire, which burned an area of 1,290 square meters.

The local government immediately set up a special task force to investigate the case and handle the aftermath.