At 9:00 AM on Wednesday morning, workers had just completed construction of an industrial chimney and were dismantling the 63-meter-tall scaffolding when it collapsed, claiming the lives of 21.

Henan Province and Anyang city officials say that malpractice and illegal deals between the owner, contractors and subcontractors may be behind the tragic accident.

Henan Governor Li Chengyu said that the chimney was being built for Xinyi, a subsidiary of the Ancai Group. The project was illegally subcontracted to a builder with unknown qualifications.

The No 7 Company of the Henan Construction Group was the original contractor, but the project was secretly transferred to a Beijing outfit. That company allegedly employed migrant workers untrained in high-rise work.

"Improper operation at the construction site and the lack of training of the workers caused the tragedy," a spokesman for the municipal government of Anyang said earlier this week.

The scaffolding fell when more than 30 workers were dismantling the steel framework beside the newly finished 68-meter-tall chimney.

The scaffolding, used to lift construction materials, was fastened to the ground with 16 ropes. Two ropes on the north side were removed two days before the accident and undermined the stability of the structure, the municipal government spokesman said. The problem was exacerbated by steady rain during the two days preceding the accident.

The steel frame tilted and pulled out a bolt at the foot, which led to the crash of the entire structure.

"I was entangled in the framework when it began to fall toward the northeast, and I was already on the ground before I could do anything," survivor Zhao Aijun told the Beijing News. The 25-year-old Zhao suffered slight back injuries.

Zhao said he and his coworkers, not trained for high-rise work, were told to remove the scaffold or they would not be paid for previous work. China requires workers to be trained and certified in such operations.

The workers were assigned to stand on the scaffold 2.5 meters apart to pass down the steel pipes as they were removed.

Most of the workers on the upper part fell or were crushed to death, while most workers below 10 meters survived.

As of Thursday afternoon, two of the ten hospitalized victims were still in critical condition. Another five were considered out of risk of death despite serious injuries to the head, chest and other bones.

Local media said police have taken 14 people into custody, including personnel from the Beijing construction company and a Zhengzhou-based company, and Xinyi. However, Anyang police refused to comment.

Nationwide, a total of 1,512 people were killed in 1,278 construction site accidents in 2003, up 17.0 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively, from 2002, the Ministry of Construction reported.

Three to ten people were killed in each of 48 accidents, compared with 51 in the previous year. Three accidents, two more than in 2002, each killed more than 10.

However, the country's construction safety situation was generally stable in 2003.

(China Daily May 14, 2004)