Chinese authorities release Hunan building-collapse investigation report

BEIJING - An investigation report on a self-built residential structure collapse incident that took place in Hunan Province in April 2022 was made public Sunday.

The incident occurred in the provincial capital Changsha on April 29, 2022, leaving 54 dead and nine wounded. The State Council, China's cabinet, set up an investigation team for the incident shortly afterward.

According to the report, deliberated and adopted at a State Council executive meeting recently, the incident resulted directly from illegal construction. The report determined that the five-story self-constructed building, which later extended to eight stories, was of poor quality and couldn't support itself after the extension, causing certain sections to deteriorate and eventually leading to the collapse.

The report also mentioned that homeowners refused to follow evacuation instructions even when the building showed obvious signs of collapsing, which resulted in many casualties.

The report also noted that relevant authorities of Hunan Province, Changsha, and the local Wangcheng District were sluggish in rectifying illegal construction, shifted responsibilities in daily oversight, and were negligent in delivering punishment for unlawful behaviors. It also mentioned that the local management of housing quality inspection agencies was messy, and authorities failed to exercise effective control over the planning and construction of self-constructed structures.

Regarding local public servants and officials who failed to fulfill duties or were involved in corruption, relevant leads and materials have been transferred to an investigation group of the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision, said the report.

According to the report, the incident exposes several problems, including a lack of risk awareness, the inaction of officials, and an improper approach to development, among other issues. It called for enhancing the risk awareness of officials at all levels and ensuring they take up due responsibilities for safety. In the meantime, it also necessitated improving the safety management of self-constructed structures and preventing and controlling relevant risks.