Death toll has risen to
five following the hydropower station collapse in southwest China's
Yunnan Province, with one more body recovered Tuesday, local
authorities confirmed.
The body of Zuo Zhencai,
a local villager, was found by rescue workers in a river 15
kilometers away from Zhenai hydropower station in Mayidui village
of Lincang city, where the accident happened, said Wu Jie, an
official with the Lincang government.
The collapse occurred at
5 p.m. on December 13. The hydropower station was running a water
test, when the concrete water channel cracked and caused the
collapse. Four construction workers and three villagers working at
the site were buried, of whom five, including three women, were
killed and two were injured.
The two injured are in
recovery and will be discharged from hospital soon.
The poor quality of the
project was blamed for the accident and the manager, supervisor and
foreman in charge of the project have been detained, said
Wu.
Compensation for the
dead will be no less than 160,000 yuan (21,728 U.S. dollars) for
each victim, the local government said.
(Xinhua News Agency
December 19, 2007)