Rescuers search for survivors at the site of the collapsed subway tunnel under construction in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 18, 2008. Hundreds of rescuers Tuesday continued search for 13 workers missing in the Saturday's subway tunnel collapse, which lefteight people dead.(Chinese media Photo)
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HANGZHOU, Nov. 18 (Chinese media) -- Eight people have been
confirmed dead in a collapsed subway tunnel here in China's eastern Zhejiang
Province after another body was recovered on Tuesday afternoon, a local official
said.
Four sniffer dogs and more than 400 rescuers are
still searching for 13 others, whose hope to survive is very slim after being
trapped for more than 72 hours, said Cai Qi, mayor of Hangzhou.
A 75-m section of a subway tunnel under construction
collapsed Saturday afternoon. Besides those dead or missing, 24 others were
injured.
The rescue operation was proceeding very slowly
because the mire in the tunnel was "much more deeper and harder" than expected,
said Yang Zhongjie, an expert with the rescue team.
"However, we dare not use large excavating machinery,
because we are afraid of destroying any bodies," said Yang.
The China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co. Ltd
(CTCEG), the subway project contractor, has been working with the social
security and civil affairs departments of Hangzhou to discuss compensation with
the victims' families, said Zi Baocheng, CTCEG's deputy Party chief.
Rescuers search for survivors at the site of the collapsed subway tunnel under construction in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 18, 2008. Hundreds of rescuers Tuesday continued search for 13 workers missing in the Saturday's subway tunnel collapse, which lefteight people dead. (Chinese media Photo)
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The victims, mostly farmers from the eastern Anhui
Province, apparently received little training before they started to work on the
subway project.
Survivor Song Changfa, who suffered a broken leg,
said some of his fellow villagers from Anhui had never done construction work
before.
"Before they came here (Hangzhou), they were planting
wheat in their hometowns," said Song, who said he had done subway construction
work in nearby Shanghai.
Song complained that there were fewer supporting rods
inside the subway tunnel than at construction sites in Shanghai.
"In Shanghai, there is a supporting pole every few
meters. If there were enough poles here in Hangzhou, my colleagues would have a
bigger chance to survive," said Song.
Zhao Tiechui, deputy head of the state work safety
administration, led a task force to investigate the cause of the accident. They
were told cracks had appeared on the road surface and the roadbed had sunk
nearby the construction site more than one month ago.
Fu Meizhen, a local resident, recalled that cracks of
2 to 3 cm wide and a meter long had appeared on the road about a week ago, right
where the collapse took place.
Fu's account was confirmed by Ye Zhiguo, a surviving
welder.
"The construction company noticed the subsiding and
had began to remedy it by paving the roadbed and inserting steel bars. These
efforts continued until the collapse," said Ye.
Subway tunnel collapse traps at least
50 in east China
HANGZHOU,
Nov. 15 (Chinese media) -- At least 50 people are trapped underground after a road
caved in on a subway tunnel under construction in the eastern Chinese city of
Hangzhou on Saturday, rescuers said. Full story
Death toll rises to seven in E China
subway tunnel collapse
Scrapers work at the site of the subway
tunnel collapse in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Nov. 17,
2008. The incident happened at 3:20 p.m. when a 75-m section of a tunnel
under construction collapsed in Xiaoshan District, trapping about 50
workers and 11 vehicles. The cause of the collapse is being
investigated.(Chinese media Photo/Huang Shengang)
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HANGZHOU, Nov. 17 (Chinese media) -- Two more bodies are
found in the rubble of a subway construction site collapse in eastern China,
bringing the death toll to seven. Rescuers are still searching for 14 others. Full story
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