The death toll in the collapse of a hotel in eastern China was yesterday raised to 17 as authorities ended the search-and-rescue mission.
The city of Suzhou said on its social media feed that 23 people had been pulled from the rubble of the Siji Kaiyuan Hotel, which collapsed on Monday afternoon.
One of those freed was uninjured and five others were sent to a hospital for treatment.
Photo: AFP
Rescuers used cranes, ladders, metal cutters and search dogs to look for survivors. Most of those killed were hotel guests.
More than 600 people, including earthquake rescue teams and 120 vehicles, were mobilized for the operation. Suzhou city is in Jiangsu Province near Shanghai.
Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Jiangsu Province Lou Qinjian (婁勤儉) on Tuesday visited the site with rescuers, the city said.
Investigators would look into the cause of the collapse and police have subpoenaed the hotel’s legal representatives, managers and those who worked on the design and construction of the building, the social media post said.
Some had been placed under “criminal control measures,” it said, adding that they were under some form of detention or supervision.
The three-floor, 54-room Siji Kaiyuan Hotel opened in 2018, Chinese online booking app Ctrip said.
Suzhou is a popular tourist destination known for its historic canals and traditional Chinese gardens, as well as a major business center.
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