In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers evacuate the 10th victim who was pulled alive after being trapped for 132 hours from the rubble of a collapsed self-built residential building in Trường Sa. Hunan Province, Central China on Thursday, May 5, 2022.
Shen Hong / AP
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Shen Hong / AP
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers evacuate the 10th victim who was pulled alive after being trapped for 132 hours from the rubble of a collapsed self-built residential building in Trường Sa. Hunan Province, Central China on Thursday, May 5, 2022.
Shen Hong / AP
BEIJING – Rescuers in central China pulled a living woman from the rubble of a partially collapsed building nearly six days earlier, state media reported on Thursday.
The unidentified woman is the 10th survivor of the disaster in the city of Trường Sa, in which at least five people have died and an unknown number, possibly dozens, are still missing.
She was rescued shortly after midnight on Thursday, about 132 hours after the back part of the six-story building unexpectedly collapsed on April 29, Xinhua news agency reported.
The woman was conscious and advised rescuers how to pull her out without causing further injury, Xinhua said. Teams used dogs and hand tools as well as drones and electronic life detectors to search.
All survivors are said to be in good condition after receiving hospital treatment. Continuous showers in recent days may increase their chances of survival without food or water.
At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the collapse of a building that Xinhua described as a “self-built building”, including its owner, on suspicion of ignoring building codes or violating the law. other violations.
There are also three people in charge of design and construction and five others who allegedly misjudged the safety of a guest house on the 4th to 6th floors of the building.
The building also hosts a residence, a cafe and shops.
An increase in the number of collapses of self-built buildings in recent years prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to call for additional inspections last month to detect structural weaknesses.
Poor compliance with safety standards, including the illegal addition of subfloors and the failure to use reinforcing bars, is often blamed for such disasters. China is also affected by deteriorating infrastructure such as gas pipelines that lead to explosions and collapses.
