There were 139 workers in the building when this accident occurred, most of whom were sleeping, Luo Bin, department spokesperson, was quoted as saying. According to news reports, 88 people managed to exit building. Of the remaining trapped, 18 died and 18 were being treated at a hospital. Four of them were in critical condition, while the city’s health department said that most of the injured suffered fractures and lacerations.
“We have assigned personnel to cope with the aftermath of the accident and to comfort the relatives of the dead and injured one by one. The company which takes responsibility for the construction work has allocated a special fund of 20 million yuan (3.1 million U.S. dollars) to deal with the aftermath issue. We will do our best to make sure that the injured acquire medical treatment and to solve relevant difficulties,” Luo said, according to state-run China Radio International. He added that a special team was also formed to comfort the families of the victims.An investigation has been ordered while 20 million yuan ($3 million) was made available for recovery and cleanup of the area by the companies concerned, the Associated Press (AP) reported.