It has been confirmed that at least 14 people have been caught in the rubble and there is no contact with 39 others who are still missing.
At least two people have died in a building that collapsed in central China, state media reported, the first confirmed deaths four days after a rescue operation searching for dozens who are still missing.
A commercial building in Changsha City, Hunan Province, which housed apartments, a hotel and a movie theater, collapsed on Friday, sparking a massive response from hundreds of emergency workers.
By Tuesday, the flattened structure – which had left a gaping hole in Changsha’s dense street landscape – was still a mess of debris and broken concrete beams.
The Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday that two people had died, citing local officials.
According to a video published by the People’s Daily, emergency response expert Liang Buge said the two victims did not give “no signs of life”.
“We tried to remove them from the site, but we found that they were pressed by heavy objects and there was no way to move them,” he said.
Earlier, a woman was rescued alive from the emergency services, state media reported, calling it a “miracle.”
The state-run People’s Daily said the woman was conscious and able to speak to rescuers through a small hole before being rescued, adding that her “vital signs are stable”. She was the ninth person to be removed from the rubble in four days.
State television CCTV showed footage of a man wrapped in a thick striped blanket carried on a stretcher while other rescuers applauded.
CCTV also aired footage of rescuers using a small camera and microphone to communicate with a woman trapped behind the rubble – though it’s unclear if this is the same man rescued on Tuesday.
“Please come and save me as soon as possible,” the woman’s plea was heard.
“We are trying to save you now and we can see your hands… If your legs are not comfortable, you should stand still and save your strength,” said one rescuer.
It is still known that at least 14 people were caught in the rubble until 39 others were found missing.
Dozens of people were trapped under a building after it collapsed in central China [CNS/AFP]
“Illegal change”
CCTV wrote on its official social media page on Tuesday: “We expect more miracles.”
The day before, the eighth survivor had been pulled from the scene, although her limbs had been crushed by debris.
Emergency medical workers supplied her with saline through three-meter tubes during a long rescue process, Xinhua reported.
Eleven people – including the building’s owner and a team of security inspectors – have been detained in connection with the collapse, including two people suspected of “illegally altering” the building, according to Changsha authorities.
Authorities say inspectors falsified the building’s security audit. Earlier, President Xi Jinping called for a search “at all costs” and ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the collapse, state media reported.
Building collapses are not uncommon in China due to poor safety and construction standards, as well as corruption among law enforcement officials.
In January, an explosion caused by an alleged gas leak toppled a building in the city of Chongqing, killing at least 16 people.
Rescuers working after the collapse of a six-story building in Changsha, in the central Chinese province of Hunan [CNS/AFP]
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