Shanghai authorities are holding nine people in an investigation into why a nearly finished 13-story apartment building collapsed and have ordered safety checks at other construction sites, the government said Monday.
SHANGHAI – Shanghai authorities are holding nine people in an investigation into why a nearly finished 13-story apartment building collapsed and have ordered safety checks at other construction sites, the government said Monday.
The incident Saturday killed one worker and was an embarrassment for Shanghai’s leaders as they prepare to showcase the city, one of China’s wealthiest and most modern, during the 2010 World Expo.
Reports on the city government’s website said nine employees of the real estate developer, the contractor and the supervisor for the Lotus Riverside apartment complex had been put “under control” and the developer’s bank account was frozen, as home buyers demanded their money back.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Meanwhile, rescuers searched a river in northeast China after part of a bridge caved in early Monday, sending vehicles plunging into the water.
Rescuers saved all 16 drivers and passengers on seven vehicles that fell into the river in Tieli, a city in Heilongjiang province, Tieli Mayor Zhang Yang told state-run China Central Television in a nationwide broadcast.
Zhang said the bridge, built in 1973 and repaired in 1997, collapsed because of a truck overloaded with construction materials, but that the river was relatively shallow.
China’s construction sector has long been plagued with quality problems. Thousands of students died when schools collapsed during last year’s catastrophic earthquake in Sichuan province, raising complaints from parents and others who accused builders of cutting corners to boost profits.
Collapses of bridges, highways and buildings in China have often been linked to endemic corruption, as officials and contractors skimp on construction materials or issue approvals without proper inspections. Such problems are more common in rural areas and inland provinces than in major cities like Shanghai, where controls usually are more rigorously enforced.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Shanghai issued a notice after Saturday’s building collapse requiring work safety checks at all construction projects in the city, with top officials warning of severe punishment for those responsible for the accident.
The building at the suburban Lotus Riverside complex toppled over almost intact, killing one worker. Initial investigations found it collapsed after workers dug underneath it to put in an underground garage. Earth removed from under the building and dumped in a nearby landfill also caused the bank of the river near the complex to collapse.
The Lotus Riverside is one of many middle-class apartment complexes in newly built suburban communities on the city’s western outskirts. The building that fell was one of seven identical 13-story buildings facing a river lined by concrete dikes and walkways.
The city’s Minhang district said in a statement that the money of people who had bought apartments was “safe.” Units in the building had sold for 14,297 yuan (about $2,100 U.S.) a square meter, it said.
On Monday, backhoes were digging around the collapsed building, which was flat on the ground with the uprooted, muddy foundation posts sticking straight out. Police cordoned off access to the site.
Camp is an experience the lasts a lifetime that many kids don’t have access to.
With your support, the Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund provides opportunities for financially vulnerable children to ignite a lifelong love for adventure at camp. Above all, your kindness makes it happen.
