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    © HAP/Quirky China News/Rex FeatPictured: Zhonglin, 13, Zhongjin, 12, Zhonghong, 11, Chong, 13, and Tao Bo, 9, (unknown order) had been missing for more than a week when they lit the fire last Thursday in Bijie, south China, 15 miles from their home
    Outcry following shocking case that saw Tao boys aged 9 to 13 found dead
  • They lit a fire in Bijie, China, about 15 miles from their home in Caqiangyan
  • Boys were sons of three brothers and most lived with blind grandmother
  • Two of their fathers said to be rubbish collectors in city near Hong Kong
  • Concern over rural children 'left behind' while parents seek work elsewhere
  • Fears for estimated 58m children in China who lack sufficient supervision or stay in care of grandparents while parents work in booming cities.
Five runaway boys seeking shelter and warmth in China on a cold night died from carbon monoxide poisoning after lighting a fire inside a rubbish bin, it emerged today.

The Tao boys - all brothers or cousins aged 9 to 13 - had been missing for more than a week when they lit the fire last Thursday in Bijie, south China, about 15 miles from their home in Caqiangyan.

The five boys were the sons of three brothers - two of whom are migrant workers with jobs far from home - and most of them had largely unsupervised lives in the care of their blind grandmother.

As details emerged of the tragedy, which happened on the day China unveiled new leadership with promises of a better life for all, it touched off fresh soul-searching about social responsibility.

It renewed concern over 'left-behind' rural children often left with grandparents while parents seek work in thriving coastal cities, and the failure of China's social services to adequately care for them.

'Though you departed from us in a garbage bin, you are not garbage,' children's book author Zheng Yuanjie wrote on his blog, adding that the fault lies with 'adults who failed their responsibilities.'

The boys - Zhongjin, Zhonghong, Zhonglin, Chong and Bo - were found in a 5ft-by-4ft rubbish container in Bijie after a night of drizzling rain when temperatures were about 4C (40F).

Two of the fathers were said to be rubbish collectors in Shenzhen, a boom city near Hong Kong.

One of the mothers lives in Shenzhen and another reportedly left the family. The third brother and his wife are Bijie-area farmers, but were said to have often left the boys to fend for themselves.

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© HAP/Quirky China News/Rex FeatScene: The boys were found in a 5ft-by-4ft rubbish container in Bijie after a night of rain when temperatures were about 4C (40F), in a case that has shocked China and prompted concerns over 'lost children'
Former journalist and Bijie resident Li Yuanlong posted online that the children had been spotted living in a temporary shelter with plastic cloth, bricks and plywood at a nearby demolition site.

Questions were raised about how the children went missing for 10 days without more of an effort launched to find them. Six local officials, including two school principals, were sacked on Tuesday.

'We have failed in our management work,' said Tang Guangxing, a spokesman for Bijie city, where the boys' bodies were found on Friday. 'Our work was not attentive enough.'

State media outlets have joined in. 'This is a shame that cannot be washed away by a civilised society,' the Beijing Youth Daily wrote in an editorial.

The boys had poor grades at school and essentially dropped out of classes, reported Xinhua News Agency, which faulted China's education system for putting too much stress on academic excellence.

'Please do not forget the mission of compulsory education. Please spread love and responsibility like sunshine,' Xinhua wrote in an editorial.

'This is also a tragedy of "left-behind children", which is a sign of the time and requires introspection from family, society and government.'

Many critics in China have fretted over decaying public morality as the country's economy rapidly grows and its people enjoy unprecedented wealth.

A similar outcry erupted last year when a toddler in Guangzhou was run over by two vehicles and then ignored by at least 18 passers-by.

The latest incident has focused concern on the plight of families in impoverished rural areas.

An estimated 58 million children countrywide lack sufficient supervision or stay in the care of grandparents when their parents seek work in China's booming cities.

Some details of the boys' home life remain unclear.

Their relatives lack telephones, but some were quoted by Chinese media outlets who sent journalists to the extremely poor, mountainous region of mud huts where farmers earn about £300 a year.

Li, who broke the story on the deaths in an online posting, said that local officials in Bijie were not pleased with the coverage and that police there told him to leave the city for four or five days.

Some observers have faulted the family for not keeping closer watch over their children.

'How could grandparents take care of your child when you are away?' asked Beijing parking attendant Liang Hongjin, a migrant worker from Henan province.

However, much of the criticism has been directed at the government and educational system.

The family reported the boys missing November 5. Beijing lawyer Li Fangping said the failure of local officials to launch a proper search was 'horrific'.

The boys died hours after Xi Jinping gave his first speech as China's new leader in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

Xi underlined the Communist Party's mission to improve the country's education, employment, social security, housing and health care.

'Our people have an ardent love for life,' Xi said in the speech. 'They want their children to have sound growth, have good jobs and lead a more enjoyable life.'

The boys' death reflects a systematic failure of children services, Beijing Normal University social welfare expert Wang Zhenyao said on state-run China Central Television.

The system lacks shelters, social workers and volunteers, and there is poor communication with those in need, he said. 'That's a blank in China,' he added.