China: Five people rescued from building collapse, as President Xi Jinping calls for dozens still missing to be found ‘at all costs’ | World News

Five people have been rescued from a partial building collapse in China, but authorities have warned dozens more are still missing.

The six-storey building in the city of Changsha partially collapsed on Friday with 23 people inside, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Rescuers in central China have since pulled out five people from the rubble, authorities said on Saturday.

However, they added that 39 others who were present around the site of the building when it toppled remain uncontactable, and rescue operations were still ongoing.

President Xi Jinping gave further instructions to rescue more victims “at all costs”.

Authorities said at a news conference that the five people who were rescued were in stable condition in a hospital.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the building housed a restaurant, coffee shop, hotel and several apartments, CCTV reported.

The tenants had made structural changes to the premises, and the exact cause of the collapse is still being investigated, the report added.

Following an increase in the number of self-built building collapses in recent years, Mr Xi also said that it was necessary to check on such structures to investigate any hidden dangers and fix them in a timely manner to prevent the occurrence of major accidents, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

Photos showed the front of the building largely intact, while the rear section appeared to have collapsed into itself.

Lack of following safety standards, including the illegal addition of extra floors and failure to use reinforcing iron bars, is often blamed for such disasters.