Rescue workers survey the scene after an apartment building collapsed in Zunyi, Guizhou province, on Sunday, leaving two people dead and one missing. A section of the nine-story building in Yan'an Road, Honghuagang district, fell down just before 6 am, officials said. (Photo: Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
China has ordered a nationwide renovation of old and shabby buildings that possess safety hazards as a series of house collapse accidents have sounded the alarm.
Local governments are urged to screen buildings as the country enters the rainy season, according to a meeting presided by Chen Zhenggao, minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, on Wednesday.
Three buildings have collapsed in Southwest China's Guizhou province since May 20, killing dozens of people.
A floor partly collapsing at a spa in north China's Tianjin municipality Tuesday night killed six people.
The ministry called on local governments to increase fiscal spending on renovation and suggested the participation of private capital.
