A 6-story building collapsed in Changsha City, Hunan Province, and many people were buried. The cause of the accident is unknown.
The building that collapsed on the afternoon of April 29 was home to restaurants, a cinema and apartments. Video released by local media showed massive plumes of smoke rising from adjacent streets, twisted railings and piles of debris from collapsed buildings, while air conditioners and furniture lay among the debris. Disorganized.
Videos on social media showed rescuers loading injured people into ambulances and trying to communicate with those trapped inside.
On April 29, a 6-story building collapsed in Changsha City, Hunan Province. video: Scgcnews.com
Chinese authorities have not announced how many people were buried under the building, but CGTN reported that many were trapped in the rubble and rescue operations were underway. Rescuers worked through the night and as of this afternoon, five people had been rescued.
No casualties have been reported, but the Trường Sa municipality said “urgent search and rescue efforts are underway”. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash.
State Councilor Wang Yong led a team to the scene to “command the rescue and relief work”. AFP said this may indicate the seriousness of the incident.
Building collapses are not uncommon in China due to poor safety standards and corruption on construction sites. In January, a building in Chongqing city exploded after a suspected gas leak, killing more than a dozen people.
In June last year, a gas explosion also occurred in a residential building in Shiyan, Hubei province, killing 25 people.

Firefighters at the site of a house collapse in Trường Sa city on April 29. picture: Hunan Fire Bureau.
Xuanle (according to AFP, CNAs)