Death toll rises to 26 in central China building collapse

The death toll of a self-built residential structure collapse in central China's Hunan Province has risen to 26 as of Thursday night, local authorities have said.

The building collapse took place in Wangcheng District in the provincial capital Changsha on April 29. A total of 23 people were believed to have been trapped in the building and 39 others near the site were missing, according to a preliminary investigation.

Relevant departments are accelerating efforts to verify the identities of the 26 victims, Zheng Jianxin, mayor of Changsha, told a press briefing on Thursday.

By 9 p.m. Thursday, 10 people had been rescued. Among them, nine are in stable condition, according to medical expert Ouyang Wen.

Zheng said that every effort will be made to search for further survivors and treat the injured.

Changsha has launched a mass safety rectification campaign in the field of housing construction. As of Wednesday, a total of 403,359 self-built houses have been inspected, and efforts are underway to defuse hidden dangers.