BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) The number of people killed after a building collapsed in the Chinese city of Changsha has risen to 53, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Friday.
A six-story building collapsed in the Wangcheng District in the city of Changsha near the Changsha Medical Institute on April 29. The Chinese authorities have since been conducting a rescue operation.
CCTV reported that the authorities have completed the operation. Rescuers managed to pull 10 people out of the rubble alive, and 53 people died.
Previous reports said that the number of dead people stood at 26.
According to the Chinese authorities, the building has been built without any authorization, and called the illegal reconstruction a possible cause of the accident. The authorities have arrested nine people, of whom four have been accused of criminal negligence and five of providing forged papers. The investigation revealed that an engineering supervision company had issued a false safety assessment report for a hotel located on floors four through six in mid-April, which were illegally constructed.
