bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Guo Rui

Five people have been pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in central China, as rescuers continue the search for dozens more believed to be missing.
The authorities in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, said on Saturday that the five were taken to hospital for treatment and another 18 people were believed to be trapped under the rubble of the eight-storey, mixed-use building.
In addition, 39 other people were thought to be missing in the area but no deaths have been confirmed.
The building collapsed soon after noon on Friday.
The owner of the building has been detained on suspicion of illegally adding structures.
Changsha mayor Zheng Jianxin said the building housed shops, a restaurant, a cafe, a family-run hotel and flats.
Zheng said tenants had made structural modifications but the specific cause of the collapse was still under investigation.
President Xi Jinping ordered officials to make every effort to rescue those trapped, investigate the causes of the collapse, and punish those responsible, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Xi said there had been many housing collapses resulting in major casualties in recent years and rectification was necessary to ensure the general stability of society.


Videos taken by residents on Friday show that four floors had collapsed, spilling concrete and steel onto the street and damaging a neighbouring building.
A funeral was being held in the neighbourhood at the time of the collapse but it was not clear if anyone involved was injured, China News Weekly reported.
The landlord lived on the top floor and leased the lower floors to the business operators, according to the report.
A lot of messages were posted on social media after the incident appealing for information about the missing.

Some of those posting messages were families and classmates of students at Changsha Medical University, which is near the site.
One Weibo user commented: “When will [the rescue team] get the people on the first floor out? Please, they’re not even 20 years old.”
Another said: “Did no one spot the hidden danger? Shouldn’t the safety of so many students in the neighbourhood be guaranteed?”
On Saturday morning, Emergency Management Minister Huang Ming told officials at all levels to crack down on illegal construction and repair work, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Huang said all efforts should be made to avoid major accidents in the run-up to the Communist Party’s national congress this autumn.
Several housing collapses have occurred in China over the past two years.
In March 2020, a hotel in Quanzhou in Fujian province collapsed, killing 29 people. An accident investigation team found it had been caused by illegal construction, alteration and reinforcement work.
In July 2021, another hotel in Suzhou, a major tourist site in Jiangsu, collapsed killing 17 and injuring five.
The authorities confirmed that the accident had been caused by a number of safety breaches, including an illegal renovation contract, faulty design and poor construction management.


Death toll rises to 9 after explosion at north China rare earth steel plant

North China farmers pay heavy price this winter for Beijing’s clean air success

‘Strictly forbidden’: China warns hikers off Aotai Line after 3 die on infamous trail

How will Jimmy Lai’s conviction affect China-UK ties and Keir Starmer’s planned visit?

Accidents, extreme weather and disasters in China

Owner of collapsed building in central China detained as search for survivors continues

An aerial photo shows rescuers at the scene of the accident in Changsha. Photo: AFP 

Some of the missing include students from a nearby university. Photo: ifeng

Residential building collapses in central Chinese city of Changsha

About two dozen fire trucks attend the scene of a building collapse in Changsha on Friday. Photo: CNS/AFP/China OUT

Eight dead in China building site collapse

Eight people died after a home collapsed while under construction in Dahu township in Fujian province on Friday. Photo: Weibo

News

China

Politics


Five people taken to hospital after being pulled from the building in Changsha but dozens more are missing
The owner of the property, which contained restaurants and a hotel, has been detained on suspicion of illegal construction



Five people taken to hospital after being pulled from the building in Changsha but dozens more are missing.
