Collapse of a building in China: balance sheet increases at twenty-six dead

The assessment of the collapse of the eight -story building, on April 29, in the city of Changsha for a still indefinite reason has been up to five dead. “> Le Monde with AFP

The discovery of new bodies made the results of the collapse of a building in China last week jump that is now twenty-six dead, announced on Thursday, May 5, CCTV public television, which quotes local officials.

The eight -story building, which housed a hotel, apartments and a cinema, collapsed on April 29 in the city of Changsha (center) for a still indefinite reason. The authorities have so far made five deaths.

The hundreds of rescuers mobilized are always without news of around twenty people, according to a count of the official news agency China Nouvelle. A woman was also extracted alive Thursday from the rubble, more than 131 hours after the disaster, five and a half days, said CCTV, who quotes local officials. This brings the number of survivors to ten so far.

Public television had broadcast live the rescue images via a video stream on the Internet. We see firefighters in full protective combination on a cluster of rubble, placing a woman on a stretcher. The latter is then taken care of by caregivers and placed in an ambulance. The Chinese media have released images of rescuers in recent days, equipped with heavy devices, trying to make their way through the debris of the collapsed building, which left a gaping hole. Eleven people, including the owner of the building and a team of security inspectors, were arrested in connection with the collapse of the building, according to the Changsha authorities.

search for the victims “in any price “

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, ordered an in -depth investigation into the cause of collapse and called to seek the victims “at any cost”, according to the state media. A senior communist party official was dispatched to the scene, which testifies to the gravity of the disaster. State Councilor Wang Yong, appointed by the central government, was sent to lead a team responsible for “guiding rescue and emergency intervention operations”, according to an official statement published on Saturday.

This type of disaster occurs frequently in China, due to poor respect for the safety rules and the laxity of services supposed to ensure their good application. In January, an explosion probably triggered by a gas leak had affected a building in the city of Chongqing, located some 1,700 kilometers west of Shanghai, killing at least sixteen. The explosion of gas driving in a residential area in June 2021 had killed twenty-five in the province of Hubei. The same month, eighteen people had been killed when a fire started in a martial arts school. All victims were students in the boarding school.

/Media reports.