67 dead in China construction accident

President Xi Jinping of China

Rescuers in China are battling to free a worker trapped after the collapse of scaffolding at a power plant that has killed at least 67 people, state media says.

Five injured workers were taken to hospital soon after Thursday morning’s accident at the plant in Fengcheng in the eastern province of Jiangxi, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Television footage and photographs from the site showed iron pipes and wooden planks strewn across the floor of the massive concrete cooling tower.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ordered an investigation, demanding that those responsible for the accident be held accountable, the central Government said.

“Strengthen supervision and preventive measures, prevent such a major accident from happening again,” it cited Mr Li as saying in a statement on its website.

Xinhua did not identify the type of power plant, but previous state media reports said it was coal-powered.

Deadly accidents are relatively common at industrial sites in China, and anger over lax standards is growing.

Three decades of swift economic growth have been marred by incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires.

China has vowed to improve safety at such facilities.

President Xi Jinping has said authorities would learn the lessons paid for with blood after chemical blasts in the port city of Tianjin killed more than 170 people last year.

Shortly after those explosions, Yang Dongliang was removed from his post as director of the State Administration of Work Safety, and later charged with corruption.

During his trial, which ended on Thursday, he admitted to taking bribes and gifts worth 28.5 million yuan ($5.6 million), state television reported. He will be sentenced later, it added.

It was not immediately possible to reach Yang’s legal representative for comment.

Reuters/AP