Four buildings collapse in Chinese city of Wenzhou, killing at least 22
- 8 years ago
WENZHOU, CHINA — Four residential buildings in Chinese city of Wenzhou, mostly occupied by migrant workers, collapsed on Monday and killed at least 22 people.
The collapsed buildings were part of an urban village, which is a term used to refer to the housing facilities of poor quality occupied by migrant workers in cities. The buildings were only supposed to be three storeys high but were illegally constructed to six storeys. According to Beijing News, the building materials were mostly concrete bricks, wooden sticks and boards, without any steel structures.
According to China Daily, continued rainfall in Wenzhou may have contributed to the collapse, as well as the unstable foundation.
A person living opposite to the collapsed buildings told Beijing News that his room shook violently just moments before the crash. He then ran to the window in time to see the structures collapse completely.
The collapsed buildings were located in a neighborhood that local government and property developers have tried to demolish and renew since 2014. Some residents reportedly refused to move, as they were trying to negotiate higher compensation from the local government.
The collapsed buildings were part of an urban village, which is a term used to refer to the housing facilities of poor quality occupied by migrant workers in cities. The buildings were only supposed to be three storeys high but were illegally constructed to six storeys. According to Beijing News, the building materials were mostly concrete bricks, wooden sticks and boards, without any steel structures.
According to China Daily, continued rainfall in Wenzhou may have contributed to the collapse, as well as the unstable foundation.
A person living opposite to the collapsed buildings told Beijing News that his room shook violently just moments before the crash. He then ran to the window in time to see the structures collapse completely.
The collapsed buildings were located in a neighborhood that local government and property developers have tried to demolish and renew since 2014. Some residents reportedly refused to move, as they were trying to negotiate higher compensation from the local government.