Building collapse kills one in E. China

Firefighters pick through the rubble for any survivors after an apartment building collapsed in Fenghua, East China's Zhejiang province, April 4, 2014. [Photo by Ye Zhiqiu/Asianewsphoto]

A woman died in hospital having been found alive in an apartment building that collapsed on Friday morning in East China's Zhejiang province. Chen Yuexiang, was among seven people pulled from the rubble.

The 68-year-old's granddaughter, Shen Dailu, was the last victim rescued. Shen, 21, is a college student.

The dilapidated five-story building in Fenghua city crumbled around 9 am.

One of the male survivors, surnamed Huang, suffered bone fracture and is in a critical condition.

During a citywide building safety inspection late last year, the building was identified as being dangerous. The warning resulted in planned reinforcement, but was not enough to call for an evacuation, said Zhuo Houjia, deputy mayor of Fenghua during a news conference to announce the latest developments of the rescue work on Friday afternoon.

A woman living in a nearby building said residents of the collapsed block had been reporting its instability to authorities since last year.

Tong Aidi, in her 60s, also lives nearby. She heard screams before the sudden collapse and was evacuated along with other residents.

"One resident even called the local television station on Friday morning to ask them to report on the risks in a bid to exert some pressure on the government to take action," she said.

"But shortly after the resident put down the telephone, the building collapsed all of a sudden."

A tenant of the collapsed building for more than three years said his landlord had never told him about the risks. He said he went to work at 7:30 am, so was not at home at the time of the collapse.

The building had stood for 20 years and housed 15 families. The neighborhood is mainly populated by elderly people and migrant workers, attracted by the relatively affordable lifestyle.

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