SZ Party chief inspects scene of collapsed building

Shenzhen Party chief Wang Weizhong inspected the scene of a collapsed building in Yutun Community, Luohu District yesterday evening to guide rescue work. D News

Shenzhen Party chief Wang Weizhong inspected the scene of a collapsed building in Yutun Community, Luohu District yesterday evening to guide rescue work.

The six-floor residential building suddenly subsided at around 11:20 a.m. yesterday, damaging two nearby buildings. 

There were no casualties reported in a public release on the official microblog of the Luohu District Government.

According to a resident who witnessed the incident, there were people living inside the building, which was awaiting evacuation and redevelopment. They were evacuated before the building collapse after people heard abnormal cracking noises at around 9:30 a.m. yesterday. Residents were moved to nearby schools.

Staff from the city's emergency departments, including the firefighting administration, arrived at the scene with gas and life detectors and were assessing the structural safety of the building and the ones surrounding it. 

Preliminary investigation by Luohu District Government shows that the old building's foundation cracked due to years of corrosion by an underground canal.  

Wang emphasized that relevant government authorities should pay more attention to work safety, and conduct safety checks to prevent further accidents.