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At least 23 people were trapped when a six-story building has partially collapsed in Changsa city in China’s Hunan province, Mayor Zheng Jianxin said Saturday.
Authorities said at a news conference that five people had been rescued from the building and were in hospital, but in a stable condition.
The Changsa mayor said 39 others remained uncontactable following the accident at noon local time on Friday.
President Xi: Rescue people ‘at all costs’
President Xi Jinping gave instructions to rescue people stuck in the building “at all costs.”
Media reports said the building contained at least one restaurant, shops and a guesthouse.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that people living in the building had made structural changes to the premises, while the exact cause of the collapse is still being investigated.
Authorities in China often blame such disasters on a lack of adherence to safety standards, such as the illegal addition of extra floors.