3 dead after partial residential building collapse in north China’s Shijiazhuang

(ECNS) -- Three people died after part of a four-story residential building collapsed in Shijiazhuang, north China’s Hebei Province, at 5:42 a.m. Wednesday, according to the city’s Xinhua District Emergency Management Bureau.

A total of four people were trapped in two households, of whom three died in hospital despite emergency treatment, while the other is receiving medical attention and is in stable condition, according to the city's emergency management bureau. Five nearby residents who sought medical attention were examined at a hospital and later discharged.

Search and rescue operations have ended. Preliminary checks suggest a gas leak may have triggered a blast that caused the partial collapse. Residents of the building and nearby homes have been relocated, while the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

(By Intern Yang Hongran, Zhang Dongfang)