Beijing - A care centre director in southern China, where 21 people including a 15-year-old autistic boy died over the past few months, is now in police custody, local media reported on Thursday, amid public outrage.
An expose this week by the state-run Beijing News found a total of 21 people at the centre for the homeless, elderly and mentally ill had recently died.
A local government investigation found conditions at the Lianxi care agency in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, did not meet national safety standards.
An investor, a legal representative and two care centre staff have also been detained.
Accounts of crowded, unsanitary conditions at the facility have triggered widespread outrage in the country, with people pouring scorn on the government's treatment of vulnerable people.