Building Collapse Tragedy in Tongling: Four Dead, Girl Rescued

At least four people have died in a building collapse in Tongling, Anhui province. A 12-year-old girl was found alive and is receiving emergency treatment. Heavy rains and poor construction quality are suspected causes. Rescue efforts involve cranes and backhoes to secure remaining structures.

Chinese state media says at least four people have been reported dead in a building collapse in the eastern province of Anhui.

A section of the 10-unit apartment block in the city of Tongling fell onto its occupants shortly after noon on Monday, leading to an hourslong search for survivors. A 12-year-old girl was found alive and is undergoing emergency treatment, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Cranes and backhoes were brought in to stabilise the parts of the building left standing. There was no immediate word on the cause of the collapse, although the city has recently seen days of heavy rain that has inundated underground structures, CCTV said.

Poor construction quality and illegally built additions and modifications are becoming increasingly apparent as buildings erected quickly during the economic boom years of the 1980s and 1990s begin to age.