Serious problems exist in construction, renovation of collapsed hotel

A preliminary investigation has shown serious problems exist in the construction, renovation and examination and approval of the collapsed hotel in east China's Fujian Province, according to a press conference Wednesday.

Those responsible for the accident have been taken into custody, said Hong Ziqiang, executive deputy mayor of the city of Quanzhou where the hotel building collapsed Saturday evening.

Seventy people had been pulled out of the debris of the Xinjia Hotel in Quanzhou's Licheng District by 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, and among them, 28 had died.

At the time of the collapse, a total of 71 people were trapped. Rescue workers are searching for the final person who remains missing.

By Tuesday, 10 injured had been discharged from local hospital.

Construction of the building, with a floor area of around 7,000 square meters, began in 2013. It was converted into a hotel in 2018 with 66 rooms.