All 16 trapped in SW China collapsed building found dead

A nine-story building collapsed after a landslide at 11:40am on Wednesday in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo/Xinhua]

GUIYANG - All 16 people trapped in a collapsed building in southwest China's Guizhou province were found dead on Saturday afternoon.

The collapse was the result of a rain-triggered landslide, local authorities confirmed Saturday.

An initial investigation has concluded that the accident was a geological disaster caused by heavy rain, said Du Zhihua, director of Guiyang land and resources bureau.

The apartment buildings were built under the approval of the city's planning bureau in 2001. The project land use is legitimate, Du said.

The accident happened at 11:30 am Wednesday, when a nine-story building in central Guiyang, home to 114 residents, collapsed. A total of 98 were confirmed safe as of Wednesday evening.

More than 100 firefighters and soldiers combed the rubble to find the missing people.

The last three bodies were retrieved from the debris as of 12:52 pm Saturday, authorities said.

A rain-triggered landslide is believed to have caused the incident, said Guiyang city government.