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Fatal apartment collapse prompts nationwide quality check

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-03 23:41

BEIJING: The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development ordered a nationwide quality inspection of housing construction Friday after an under-construction residential compound collapsed in Shanghai last Saturday.

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All construction sites should be checked for work safety measures including the safe use of construction machinery.

The check will also focus on fire-proof measures taken by the developers.

The ministry said it will send supervision groups to local areas.

An apartment building in the "Lotus Riverside" compound of Minhang District in Shanghai collapsed entirely last Saturday, killing one worker who had gone into the building to fetch his tools.

The tragedy aroused nationwide concern about the quality of commercial housing. The Shanghai accident was still under investigation.