Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

At least 4 killed in southern China dormitory collapse

State media report at least four people have died in the collapse of a workers' dormitory in the southern Chinese province of Jiangxi

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 23 November 2021 04:47 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

At least four people have died in the collapse of a workers’ dormitory in the southern Chinese province of Jiangxi state media report.

The six-story building in the province’s Ganjiang New District tumbled down Monday evening, they said.

The building housed workers who had originally worked at a local pharmaceutical plant and most of the residents were elderly, according to state broadcaster CCTV and other outlets. The building was constructed in 1995 mainly out of prefabricated slabs and was considered to be poor quality, they said.

Photos and video showed rescue crews searching through a pile of rubble under floodlights. Part of the building, one of several identical structures in the compound, remained standing.

China has sought to improve construction quality and industrial safety with the threat of prosecution, but accidents still occur as companies cut corners to save costs.

Aging infrastructure is also a growing problem, with gas line explosions a particular threat, along with weak adherence to safety standards for the handling of volatile chemicals.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in