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5 killed in SW China building collapse

19 March 2012 18:04 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Five people have been confirmed dead and another ten injured after a building under construction collapsed in southwest China’s Yunnan province Monday, local authorities said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The accident happened at 1:38 p.m. in Xiaguan township in the city of Dali. Fifteen people have been pulled from the debris as of 8 p.m., according to Zhao Hui, a local government official.

The injured, including six in critical condition, have been rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

The number of people still trapped in the collapse is unknown, although more than 2,000 people have been mobilized to search the area, Zhao said.

The collapsed building was an illegal steel structure built without a construction permit, Zhao said, adding that local authorities asked the builder to suspend construction on March 15.

A probe into the cause of the accident is under way.