22 people killed as power station under construction collapses in China: Xinhua

At least 22 people were killed when part of a power station under construction in China collapsed Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, the latest industrial accident in a country with a dismal safety record.

A cooling tower platform plunged to the ground in the early hours, trapping an unknown number of people beneath it, Xinhua said. Rescue efforts were under way.

Pictures of the scene in Fengcheng, in the central province of Jiangxi, showed a grey mass of concrete slabs and steel girders splayed in a heap on the ground, with a row of red fire engines standing at the ready.

Industrial accidents are common in China, where safety standards are often laxly enforced.