Eight dead, nine missing in Suzhou hotel collapse

At least eight people are dead and nine others are still missing after a hotel collapsed in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, on Monday afternoon, according to the Suzhou government's WeChat account.

As of 7 am Tuesday, one unharmed person had returned home and five injured had been receiving treatment in hospital after they were rescued from the debris.

Previous information provided by the government showed 18 people were buried at the site, but investigators found later that five others entered the hotel without registration.

The three-story building, located in Suzhou's Wujiang district, was undergoing renovations when it collapsed.

The provincial fire department has dispatched 654 workers, 120 vehicles from seven detachments, six earthquake rescue teams and five search teams equipped with large cranes, lifting air cushions and a metal cutting machine.

With the help of search dogs and professional equipment, rescuers worked all night to rescue more buried people.

The Ministry of Emergency Management sent a panel of experts to Suzhou on Monday afternoon to help with the rescue work.

Wu Zhenglong, provincial governor of Jiangsu, hurried to the site to organize rescue work on Monday afternoon, saying the accident must be thoroughly investigated and all people held responsible must be severely punished.

All 13 cities of the province will hold construction safety management meetings to strengthen inspection and prevent such accidents from happening again, according to the provincial government.