State Council approves investigation report on hotel collapse

BEIJING -- The State Council has approved an investigation report on the collapse of a hotel in East China's Fujian province.

The Xinjia Hotel collapsed on March 7 in the Licheng district of Quanzhou city, killing 29 people and injuring 42 others. The hotel was used as a coronavirus quarantine facility when the accident happened.

Illegal and regulation-breaching construction, revamps and reinforcement of the hotel led to the collapse, which was a major work-safety accident, according to the report.

After being illegally converted into a seven-floor building from the original four-floor by adding interlayers, the hotel reached its maximum bearing capacity and was on the brink of collapse. The report went on to point out that illegal reinforcement work on the building's load-bearing steel pillar on the bottom floor damaged the structure and led to the final collapse.

Police have taken criminal coercive measures against 23 suspects in the accident.