Construction elevator accident kills 8 in China

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – Eight have been killed after a construction elevator fell from the 18th floor of an apartment in eastern China.

The state-run China Daily reported Sunday that the government of Longkou city in Shandong Province said the eight were rushed to hospitals after the accident Friday night but all succumbed to their injuries.

Dozens of people are killed in workplace accidents in China each year, raising questions about lax safety regulations in the country.

In late May, at least one plant worker and a firefighter were killed and 18 others injured after an explosion rocked a battery storehouse in eastern Jiangsu province, known as an industrial hub.

At least two people were killed and five others injured the previous month when a fire broke out at an underground construction site at an airport in Shanghai.