Seven dead, 16 injured in collapse of building undergoing renovation

Seven people died and another 16 were injured when a building under renovation collapsed in downtown Shanghai on Thursday, according to the city's emergency management authority.

As of 8 pm on Thursday, 23 people had been pulled out of the debris of the building - a former automobile dealership - that had collapsed at around 11:30 am, the Shanghai Emergency Management Bureau said on Thursday night.

One of the injured was in serious condition, and 15 were in stable condition after being rushed to nearby hospitals.

The rescue team was still searching to see if any others are trapped, the bureau said.

About 1,000 square meters of the floor collapsed, about one-third of the total area. Local residents had complained that renovations had been speeding up and sometimes continued into the night, according to Xinmin Evening News, a local newspaper.

Twenty-four fire engines and more than 150 firefighters rushed to the scene after the collapse, and engineers were on site to guide the rescue, the Ministry of Emergency Management's firefighting and rescue department said.

Li Qiang, Party chief of Shanghai, and Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong went to the site in the afternoon to call on the rescue and medical teams to go all out to save the victims and urge relevant departments to investigate.

xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Global 05/17/2019 page4)