A carpenter's body was dug out of the rubble yesterday, bringing the death toll from Monday's scaffolding accident at a Beijing construction site to seven. Another person is still missing.

"We broke the concrete into pieces and pulled the body out," Sun Yuda said yesterday. Sun is an engineer with the company developing the Xixi Project in the Xidan area in downtown Beijing where the accident occurred.

"We hope to find the last one by tonight," Sun added.

The missing man is buried under the wreckage and is believed to be dead, sources with the construction company said yesterday.

Metal scaffolding collapsed on Monday night killing three workers instantly. Another died later in hospital. The bodies of two more workers were found on Tuesday.

Sun said the concrete that fell from a height of 20 meters along with the scaffolding formed a wall half a meter high and covering an area of about 300 square meters.

"It is believed some of the trapped workers died from suffocation under the concrete," Sun said.

Yesterday, Sun bought a 10-year accident insurance policy, which guarantees compensation of 100,000 yuan (US$12,330) if the same fate befalls him.

"This job is too dangerous. You never know what will happen," Sun said. "I cannot count on the little insurance the construction companies provide."

The workers on the construction site, who are all former farmers, are even more disadvantaged.

"We don't have insurance. I have no idea about insurance," said Liu Zhengquan, 40, who was on his way to visit one of his colleagues in hospital.

"Doctors said he could die any minute," said Liu, referring to Wang Xianbing, who suffered multiple injuries and is now in a coma.

Liu's team was mixing cement on the scaffolding when the accident happened.

"We used to play cards and drink beer together. It is heartbreaking to see the empty beds and know some of them won't be coming back," Liu said.

(China Daily September 9, 2005)