Fatalities rise to 12 in scaffolding collapse
By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-09-08 05:41

The death toll of the construction collapse in Beijing on Monday could rise to 12, sources said yesterday.

Seven were confirmed dead by Tuesday and more are believed still buried under the debris, a construction worker said.

"About five to six people were still trapped," said Chen Yinbao, 40, who has been working on rescue operations since Monday night.

"They really have no chance of surviving amid the tangled wreckage of concrete and steel."

The accident happened at 10 pm on Monday when scaffolding at the Xixi Project construction site in the Xidan area collapsed.

The collapse was blamed on the weak scaffolding supports, which gave way. An investigation by the Beijing Construction Committee is ongoing.

Heavy load

More than 40 workers were on the platform, including concrete workers, carpenters, surveyors and a heavy load of cement, workers said.

Three were pronounced dead on the scene and one died later in hospital.

Another three were found dead on Tuesday. All the victims, including 22 others who were injured, were from Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Rescue efforts have been painstakingly difficult. Chen said he did not eat yesterday till 1 pm.

"I am starving after working since this morning," he said. "This is no life."

He also aired his concerns about entering the construction site again after lunch.

"I am so scared after my colleagues died," he said. "But I couldn't quit because I won't get my salary until the completion of the work."

As rescue workers continued their search, other construction workers mourned the loss of their colleagues.

Guo Minzhang, 50, who shared a room with Xu Wancai, who was confirmed dead on Tuesday, was having trouble recovering from the shock of his roommate's death.

"He was only 27," Guo said. "He leaves two young kids and a wife at home, plus his parents. He was the family's only breadwinner.

"The doctors told me Xu suffered massive head injuries, and he's already gone. I didn't see his body."

Such a devastating accident demonstrates the fickle nature of life. But miracles do occur: A team of 18 workers survived, only eight of whom were injured.

Construction site

Li Shilin, 55, who saved three of his fellow Yilong County residents, said he would never forget the moment when the first light penetrated the darkness of the construction site after the tragedy.

"We started to count the heads of our team workers, and all were there. We hugged and cried," Li recalled.

At 6 pm on Monday, Li and his colleagues went to work on the night shift to mix cement and water on the platform, which was more than 20 metres above ground level.

"Suddenly the platform fell down, and I didn't have time to figure out how," Li said. "When I woke up a few minutes later, it was all dark and very quiet.

"I found myself covered from head to toe in cement. It was terrifying."

Li crawled 5 metres to the wall of the building and began to shout the name of his team leader, Wang Cheng.

"I called his name three times without reply. I kept calling him, and then I heard him calling my name. I was so glad he was alive."

There were repeated callings of names in an effort to find out who had survived, since they couldn't see one another in the complete darkness.

Li and Wang, who were unhurt, followed the sound and took some of their injured colleagues out of the building before the siren of ambulances was heard.

Li Shiquan, who suffered from a serious fracture of the right hip that will need a couple of months to heal, was found buried in cement.

"I couldn't crawl any more," Li Shiquan said. "Get me out of here. Take me home."

(China Daily 09/08/2005 page3)