Aerial photo taken on April 29, 2022 shows the collapse site of a self-constructed residential building in Changsha, Central China’s Hunan Province. Photo: Xinhua

A total of 15 people were sentenced to prison in Central China’s Hunan Province on Thursday for their roles in a building collapse that claimed 54 lives in 2022, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The defendants, including the owner of the building and officials who committed dereliction of their duty, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two years and nine months to 12 years, the courts of Wangcheng district and Ningxiang city in Changsha announced the verdicts on Thursday. The collapse of the illegally self-built and extended residential building in the city of Changsha on April 29, 2022 killed 54 people and injured another nine, causing direct economic losses of 90.77 million yuan ($12.74 million).

The State Council set up an investigation team to look into the incident shortly after the tragedy occurred.

According to the investigation report deliberated and adopted at a State Council executive meeting in May of 2023, the five-story self-constructed building, which later extended to eight stories, was of poor quality and couldn’t support itself after the extension, causing certain sections to deteriorate and eventually leading to the collapse, Xinhua reported. 

According to the verdicts, Wu Zhiyong, the owner of the building, without gaining the necessary legal construction permits, hired an unqualified designer and some unqualified personnel to conduct illegal construction and unauthorized expansion of the residential structure, and then rented the building out for commercial purposes, including providing catering services and accommodation. 

After some major safety hazards in the building were discovered, Wu failed to implement effective rectification measures and organized no emergency evacuation even when the building showed obvious signs of collapse, resulting in the major accident with significant casualties and substantial economic losses. 

Wu, in collusion with others, also repeatedly and willfully destroyed other people’s property. 

The report also noted that relevant authorities in Wangcheng, Changsha and Hunan were sluggish in rectifying illegal construction, shifted responsibilities in daily oversight, and were negligent in delivering punishment for unlawful behaviors. It also mentioned that the management of housing quality inspection agencies was messy, and authorities failed to exercise effective control over the planning and construction of self-constructed structures.

According to the verdicts, Wu was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment for the crimes of major liability accident and picking quarrels and provoking troubles. 

The defendant Zhou Zhengmao, former deputy head of Wangcheng district, was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment for the crimes of negligence of duty and bribery, along with a fine. 

Global Times