Restaurant collapse kills 29 in China

Twenty-nine people have been confirmed dead as of early Sunday after a restaurant collapsed Saturday in the city of Linfen, north China's Shanxi Province, reported Xinhua, quoting local authorities.

The accident happened at around 9:40 a.m. when relatives and fellow villagers were attending the birthday party banquet of an 80-year-old person at a restaurant in Chenzhuang village in Xiangfen County, witnesses said.

By 6:52 p.m., 45 people had been pulled out of the debris of the collapsed two-story building, including the dead, seven severely injured and 21 slightly injured, said the rescue headquarters.

With the help of over 20 large machineries, and sniffer dogs and life detectors, 840 rescuers are trying to locate people in the debris. Earlier they used small tools and bare hands to search for trapped ones.

Local authorities have also sent more than 100 medical workers with 15 ambulances to the site.

Top provincial officials have ordered all-out efforts for the rescue operation. Two deputy provincial governors have been sent to the site to coordinate the rescue efforts.