China jails 15 over building collapse that killed dozens

In April 2022, a commercial building in the central city of Changsha caved in, leaving more than 50 people dead and nine wounded.

Authorities later said the structure had been built illegally, triggering an outcry over corruption and laxity in the construction industry.

State broadcaster CCTV said Thursday that two courts in Changsha had issued sentences for 15 people implicated in the scandal.

They included 11 years in prison for Wu Zhiyong, a resident of the building deemed partly responsible for the collapse.

Other jail sentences included 12 years in prison for the former deputy chief of a state-backed municipal water company found guilty of dereliction of duty and bribery.

A local structuring testing firm was fined one million yuan (US$140,000) and several of its employees were jailed for providing documents that falsely declared the building to be safe.

The court ruled that Wu and others built the property despite having "no construction qualifications" and illegally rented it to catering and accommodation companies, CCTV reported.

"No effective rectification measures were taken" despite the discovery of major structural hazards, the broadcaster said.

It added that the incident "resulted in major casualties and serious economic losses".

Building collapses are not uncommon in China due to weak safety standards and corruption among those tasked with enforcing them.

Six people were killed and 10 were injured when a lightning strike caused a park pavilion to collapse in the eastern city of Changzhou in August.