Basements housing 3,000 people checked

Beijing will renovate, upgrade or close 18 group-rent basements, currently housing more than 3,000 people, by the end of this month.

The city's Commission of Housing and Urban and Rural Development said on Thursday the basements were partitioned into smaller units to rent out the space for more money. The 2,730 rooms in the 18 basements are home to 3,299 people, and some have only one exit.