Rescue work on the collapsed building: The search for survivors was stopped on Sunday
Photo: Yang Chenguang / APAccording to media reports, at least 29 people were killed when a restaurant collapsed during a birthday party in northern China's Shanxi Province. Dozens of people were injured, seven of them seriously, state media said on Sunday.
A total of 57 people were rescued from the rubble of the two-story building. The rescue operations were suspended on Sunday morning.
Collapsed restaurant: At the time of the accident, a birthday was held in the house
Photo: STR / AFPThe restaurant in Xiangfen County collapsed on Saturday morning. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, it was celebrating an 80th birthday at the time. The reasons for the accident and further details were initially not known. The state council of the central government said it would oversee the provincial authorities' investigations.
Hundreds of helpers on duty
The website of the state broadcaster CGTN showed pictures of rescue workers in orange full-body suits searching for victims in the rubble of the restaurant. Accordingly, a total of 700 people were involved in the search and rescue operation. The DPA news agency reports on around 800 emergency services on site.
View of the site of the accident: 57 people were rescued alive
Photo: Yang Chenguang / APBuildings keep collapsing in China. This is often caused by botched construction, and safety standards are sometimes deliberately circumvented. In March, for example, a hotel collapsed in the southern Chinese city of Quanzhou, killing 29 people and injuring 42 others.
Investigations revealed that three floors had been illegally added to the original four-story building. According to the state television station CCTV, experts in consultation with the hotel owner had given false information about building security.
Icon: The mirrorjme / dpa / AFP