Death toll rises in restaurant collapse in central China
- In all, 29 people killed after banquet hall caves in during birthday party in Shanxi
- Provincial authorities order inspections of all public buildings amid concerns about illegal construction
The death from a restaurant collapse in China rose to 29 on Sunday as more people were pulled from the wreckage.
The two-storey banquet hall in Xiangfen county in Shanxi province, about 630km (390 miles) southwest of Beijing, collapsed on Saturday morning during a birthday party.
Among the 57 people pulled from the debris, 29 were confirmed dead, seven were severely injured and 21 suffered minor injuries, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. The rescue operation, which involved more than 800 people, ended in the early hours of Sunday.
The Shanxi provincial government has set up a team to investigate the collapse.
The team will be headed by Xue Junzheng, a provincial official in charge of emergency management. Xue said the team would find out the cause of the collapse and ensure that those responsible would be held accountable.
