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China shoe factory collapses

July 5, 2015

A shoe factory has collapsed in eastern China, killing and injuring a number of people, according to state media. The cause of the accident is unclear.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Fst3
China Wenling Schuhfabrik eingestürzt
Image: Reuters/Stringer

The shoe factory, located in the city of Wenling in China's eastern Zhejiang province, collapsed on Saturday afternoon for unknown reasons while 51 people were working in the building, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.

It said 42 people were pulled out of the factory and taken to hospital, but no details on their conditions were given. Nine people were reported to have been killed.

The cause of the collapse was under investigation, Xinhua said.

Building collapses and industrial accidents occur regularly in China owing to often lax safety standards and the advanced age of some constructions.

In May, 38 people died in a fire at a nursing home, while a blaze at a chemical plant in April caused almost 30,000 people to be evacuated.

In November last year, another fire at a coal mine in northeastern China claimed the lives of 26 workers.

tj/sms (dpa, AFP)