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According to media reports, at least 29 people were killed when a restaurant collapsed during a birthday party in northern China’s Shanxi province. Dozens of people were injured, seven of them seriously, state media said Sunday.
A total of 57 people were rescued from the rubble of the two-story building. Rescue operations were suspended on Sunday morning.
The Xiangfen County restaurant collapsed on Saturday morning. According to the official Xinhua news agency, at that time she was celebrating her 80th birthday. The reasons for the accident and more details were initially unknown. The state council of the central government said it would oversee investigations by provincial authorities.
Hundreds of helpers on duty
The website of the state broadcaster CGTN showed images of rescuers dressed in orange full-body suits searching for victims in the rubble of the restaurant. Consequently, a total of 700 people participated in the search and rescue operation. The DPA news agency reports about 800 emergency services at the scene.
Buildings continue to collapse in China. This is often due to faulty construction, and safety regulations are sometimes deliberately circumvented. In March, for example, a hotel collapsed in the southern Chinese city of Quanzhou, killing 29 people and injuring 42 others.
Investigations revealed that three floors had been illegally added to the original four-story building. According to state television CCTV, experts in consultation with the hotel owner had given false information about the building’s security.
