7 confirmed dead in eastern China housing collapse

BEIJING – Seven people are confirmed dead following the collapse of a group of homes in eastern China, the local government said Friday.

The Wencheng county government said on its official microblog that two people had been rescued from the rubble of four multi-story houses on the outskirts of the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, south of the commercial hub of Shanghai. It said they had been sent to hospital but gave no details on their condition.

No immediate cause was given for the collapse that struck Thursday morning and there had been no reports of extreme weather in the area over recent days. The Wencheng government said an investigation had been opened into how the disaster happened.

In October, 22 people were killed near Wenzhou when a cluster of decrepit homes tumbled to the ground, apparently because of poor construction and the building of additional levels on unstable foundations.