Inferior construction materials were blamed for the collapse of a building, which claimed three lives and injured 14 others on Feb. 6 in the central China province of Hubei, an investigation has found.

The four-story building was under construction in a village in Donghu High-Tech Development Zone on the outskirts of the provincial capital Wuhan, when it collapsed at 7:40 p.m. Friday, burying 17 construction workers.

Construction had begun without approval from construction departments, without supervisors and safety measures, said a release issued Monday by the administrative committee of the development zone.

There was no safety guarantee for the 1,100-sq-m building to be constructed in only 10 days and with inferior materials, said the investigators.

The owners of the building intended to earn huge profits from the low-cost construction as the land was to be taken over for public use in the near future and they would receive compensation from the government when all the houses were dismantled.

It is estimated that a 1,100-sq-m building could earn a net profit of 275,000 yuan (33,000 US dollars).

Mayor of Wuhan Li Xiansheng denounced the practice, describing it as "profiteering".

Police have arrested the director of the local neighborhood committee and the person who contracted the building project.

The city has pledged to demolish all buildings illegally constructed in the Donghu development zone by the end of June.

(Xinhua News Agency  February 10, 2004)