The Chinese government has sentenced 15 persons to prison in Central Hunan province for their involvement in a catastrophic building collapse that resulted in 54 fatalities in 2022.
The defendants, including the owner of the illegally constructed building and officials found guilty of dereliction of duty, received jail terms ranging from two years and nine months to 12 years, according to first-instance verdicts issued by local courts, China Daily reports.
The incident occurred on April 29, 2022, in Wangcheng district of Changsha, leaving 54 dead and nine wounded. The State Council promptly established an investigation team to assess the situation.
Wu Zhiyong, the building’s owner, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for negligence that contributed to the incident.
He had hired unqualified construction workers to illegally build and extend the structure, which he then leased for accommodation and catering purposes.
The verdict indicated that despite clear signs of the building’s imminent collapse, Wu failed to organize emergency evacuations, leading to significant casualties. He was also convicted of conspiring with others to repeatedly destroy property.
Zhou Zhengmao, former deputy head of Wangcheng district, received a 12-year sentence for dereliction of duty and accepting bribes.
Other convicted individuals included inspectors from urban management and market regulation departments, as well as shareholders and testing personnel from a company that issued fraudulent documents for the construction project.
The company, Hunan Xiangda Engineering Testing Co., Ltd., was fined 1 million yuan (approximately $140,400). The sentencing was attended by lawmakers, political advisors, and relatives of both the victims and defendants.