16 people feared trapped in China building collapse

Sixteen residents of an apartment building which partially collapsed in southwest China’s Guizhou Province on Wednesday were listed missing as rescuers raced against time to save them.

The third and fourth units of the No. 21 apartment complex in a residential community in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province collapsed due to a rain-triggered landslide, the city government said.

An initial investigation showed 114 residents from 35 households lived in the collapsed sections.

Til the evening, 98 of the residents were confirmed safe.

Sixteen others could not be reached, but mobile phone signals of 15 of them were detected at the scene. More than 100 rescuers are combing the debris with sniffer dogs and life detectors.

A four-month baby was pulled out from the debris and rescued, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

A man <g data-gr-id="24">surnamed</g> Zhang, who lived on the ground floor, was pulled out by rescuers.

He told Xinhua that he was awakened by loud noises and was about to run when he was buried by 

falling debris.

Another resident, who declined to give her name, was worried about her daughter-in-law. “She lived on the ninth floor,” she said.