13 people killed in bridge, house collapse in China

At least 13 people were killed when an illegal bridge under construction collapsed in southern China and a residential complex caved in east China, officials said today.

Eleven people were killed when a bridge under construction collapsed in south China’s Guangdong Province.

The stone-arch bridge which was under construction in Liangkengkou village, Gaozhou City, collapsed yesterday, a local official said.

Rescuers pulled 27 people out of the debris, including five who were confirmed dead on the spot and eight others sustaining serious injuries, said the official.

Six of the seriously wounded survivors later died in the hospital, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The unlicensed bridge was being built by the village itself. The local government ordered to suspend the project in April, but its construction resumed covertly during the past May Day holiday, said the official.

The contractor of the bridge is in the police custody.

In another incident, two people were killed and four others injured when an old residential building collapsed in Shanghai city in eastern China.

The three-storied brick-and-wood structure crumbled early this morning when nine people were in the building in Hongkou District, officials said.

Four people managed to escape while the rest were pulled out by rescuers. Two of the rescued were later confirmed dead by medical staff.