COLLAPSED CHINESE HOTEL CLAIMS 17 LIVES

A hotel in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou collapsed on Monday afternoon. At first, it was believed that there were 18 people in the hotel at the time of the collapse, but reports later revealed that there were five unregistered guests in the hotel as well.

Over 600 rescue workers were deployed to the scene. They had to make use of rescue dogs, cranes, ladders and metal cutters in their attempt to save those thought to be inside the hotel. After searching for 36 hours, they found 23 people buried beneath the rubble. Six of them were found alive and taken to a nearby hospital.

While the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, early reports have suggested that it might have been due to poor construction.

It's believed that the building has gone frequent renovations over the years.

A local resident told Red Star News that "the building used to have only three floors, but over the years they have been adding extra floors". Local authorities have told reporters that the relevant individuals that are to blame for the collapse will face criminal charges.

CNN reports that building collapses in China have, in the past, been linked to poor construction work. Last year, 29 people died after a hotel collapsed in the Fujian province. "Investigators later found there were serious problems in the hotel's construction".

Watch The Star video below for more on the Chinese hotel that collapsed killing 17 lives.

Image credit: CGTN