At Least 3 Killed in China Building Collapse

At Least 3 Killed in China Building Collapse
In this image from video, rescuers try to find survivors at the site where a building collapsed in Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China on May 20, 2019. CCTV via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:

BEIJING—At least three people were killed and four others buried in the collapse of a building in southern China on May 20, authorities said.

Framework surrounding a bar in the city of Baise in Guangxi gave way at around 1 a.m., trapping or injuring almost 100 people.

The local government said in a statement on its microblog that 87 people were injured. Rescuers were using search dogs and electronic monitors to try to find other survivors.

The bar was located on the top of a three-story, steel-framed building.

China has recently suffered a spate of building collapses and other industrial accidents largely blamed on the skirting of safety requirements amid a slowing economy.

On Thursday, a building being refurbished collapsed in Shanghai, killing at least five, according to Reuters.
Public anger over safety standards has grown in China over industrial accidents. Recent months have been particularly deadly for Chinese workers, underscoring shoddy enforcement of safety regulations and a desire by management to cut corners as the economy slows.

Despite repeated government pledges to tighten safety, disasters have hit chemical plants in particular.

In March, 78 people were killed in a blast at a chemical plant in the eastern city of Yancheng that had numerous safety violations, making it one of China’s worst industrial accidents in recent years.
Earlier, in November, at least 22 people were killed in an explosion outside a chemical plant in the northeastern city of Zhangjiakou, which will host competitions in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The Epoch Times contributed to this report.