Five workers died and eight were injured Saturday while dismantling a makeshift dormitory at a construction site in Hebei Province, the local government said.
The building in Sanhe county of Langfang city, which borders Beijing, collapsed as workers were dismantling it at about 8 a.m., according to the publicity department of the county-level government.
Construction of the Nadanbao commercial residential compound was almost finished and workers were clearing up the site.
Witnesses said workers attempted to dismantle the temporary building from the bottom, which may have led to the collapse.
The injured were taken to hospital, where their conditions were described as stable.
Officials with the county government and work safety watchdog are investigating the accident.
(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2009)