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BEIJING: At least 17 people have died after a two-story restaurant in northern China collapsed during a meeting on Saturday morning (August 29), state media said, and rescuers pulled dozens of survivors from through the rubble and searched for others believed to be trapped.
The building is located in Xiangfen County of Shanxi Province, about 630 kilometers southwest of Beijing.
The Xinhua news agency reported that “45 people have been removed, of whom 17 died, seven were seriously injured and 21 were slightly injured.”
Rescuers dressed in orange jumpsuits and helmets combed the building’s crumbling ruins, showed images on the CGTN broadcaster’s website, with a decorative painting on one of the few walls that was still intact.
Rescuers and doctors gather near the site of a collapse of a two-story restaurant in Xiangfen County, north China’s Shanxi Province, on Aug. 29, 2020. (Photo: Chinatopix via AP)
About 700 people participated in the rescue operation, CGTN said.
Video posted by China Central Television showed them lifting heavy pieces of concrete. At least once, the remaining frame of the building shook but did not fall.
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.
