The death toll from a building collapse in China last week has risen to 53 after more bodies were found, state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday. The eight-storey building, which housed a hotel, apartments and a cinema, collapsed on April 29 in the city of Changsha for an as yet undetermined reason. Authorities have so far reported 26 deaths.
CCTV said the rescue operations were now “over”. Hundreds of rescuers have been mobilized in recent days to try to find dozens of people from whom we had no news.
Eleven people arrested
Ten people were extracted alive from the rubble. Chinese media have broadcast images in recent days of rescuers, equipped with heavy machinery, trying to make their way through the debris of the collapsed building, which left a gaping hole.
Eleven people, including the building owner and a team of security inspectors, have been arrested in connection with the building collapse, according to Changsha authorities.
This type of disaster occurs regularly in China. Most of the investigations that are then carried out highlight non-compliance with construction standards.