Residential building collapses in central Chinese city of Changsha
- Unknown number of people trapped in the ruins of the six-storey mixed-use structure
- Huge cloud of dust seen rising from the scene
More than 100 rescuers are searching through the rubble of a six-storey building that collapsed in the central Chinese city of Changsha, Hunan province, on Friday afternoon, trapping an unknown number of people.
The Hunan fire department said in a post on Weibo that it was first alerted about the building collapse at 12.22pm. In an update around 4pm, it said that some people had been rescued, but did not state how many.
City authorities said the building was near the north gate of Changsha Medical University and was a mixed-use residential brick and concrete structure covering about 800 square metres (8,600 square feet).
01:27
Multiple residents trapped after building collapses in central China’s Changsha
According to state media, the collapse sent a huge cloud of dust rising from the site.
The building had a restaurant on the second floor, a cinema on the third, with family hotels and residential accommodation on others.
State broadcaster CCTV said Changsha’s fire department sent 23 fire trucks, 134 fire-and-rescue personnel and four search-and-rescue dogs to the scene.
After the incident, some internet users posted on Weibo seeking help, with some saying that their friends – including a handful of students from Changsha Medical University – or relatives living in the building had lost contact since the incident and might have been trapped inside.
Southern Metropolis News quoted the operator of a restaurant in the area as saying a funeral was being held downstairs before the incident.
According to Jimu News, a shopkeeper near the site said the building was more than a decade old.
