2 more survivors found 3 days after China building collapse

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers have found two more survivors in the rubble of a building in central China that collapsed more than three days ago, state media reported Tuesday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said a man and a woman were pulled out on Monday afternoon and early Tuesday morning.

The woman, whose rescue came after being buried for 88 hours, alerted workers using life detection equipment to her presence by knocking on objects. Xinhua said she was conscious, had normal vital signs and was able to communicate with her rescuers.

The collapse of the six-story building took place at 12:24 p.m. Friday in Changsha, the Hunan provincial capital south of Beijing.

Police have arrested nine people, including the building owner, on suspicion of ignoring building codes or committing other violations. Also held were three people in charge of design and construction and five others who allegedly gave a false safety assessment for a guest house on the building’s fourth to sixth floors.

The building also held a residence, a cafe and shops.

Following an increase in the number of collapses of self-built buildings in recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that it was necessary to check such structures for any hidden dangers and fix them to prevent major accidents, Xinhua said.

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