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BEIJING, Aug. 29 (AFP): At least 17 people were killed on Saturday when a restaurant in northern China collapsed, state media said, and rescuers pulled dozens of survivors out of the rubble and searched for others believed to be they are trapped.
The two-story banquet building collapsed in the morning in Xiangfen county, Shanxi province, according to broadcaster CGTN.
The Xinhua News Agency reported that “45 people have been removed, of whom 17 were dead, seven seriously injured and 21 lightly injured.”
Rescuers in orange overalls and helmets combed the building’s crumbling ruins, images showed on the CGTN website, with a decorative painting seen on one of the few walls still intact.
Seven hundred people participated in the rescue operation, CGTN said.
While the cause of the disaster was not immediately clear, China is no stranger to building collapses and fatal construction accidents.
They are generally credited with the country’s rapid growth leading to builders taking corners and widespread non-compliance with safety rules. – AFP
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