Three held over Shanghai tunnel collapse

Shanghai police have arrested three people who they say are responsible for the collapse of a half-built subway tunnel.

Part of the tunnel under the Huangpu river collapsed on July 1 after water seeped inside.

The accident led to ground subsidence nearby, causing three buildings to collapse while a flood barrier was partially destroyed.

A municipal government official said Li Zhuhe, deputy project manager of the Shanghai branch of the Beijing China Coal Mine Engineering Company, Yuan Qianghua, project manager of the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company, and Li Guanqiang, supervisor for the Shanghai Subway Consulting Supervision Technology Company, had been arrested for negligence.

An investigation led by the Chinese Association of Engineering found that the tunnel collapsed because the companies had not repaired a damaged machine that freezes soil before contractors start drilling. The fact that it was damaged meant the soil thawed and started to subside.

The investigation said the site was poorly managed and had inadequate supervision procedures.