A shoe factory has collapsed in eastern China, killing at least nine workers and injuring dozens, officials said on Sunday.
Fifty-one workers were present in the shoe-making factory in the eastern Zhejiang province city of Wenling when it collapsed at about 4 p.m. (08:00 GMT) on Saturday, according to Xinhua. The rescue work is still underway.
Wenling authorities said rescuers pulled 42 people from the collapsed factory structure and sent them to a local hospital, where nine of them died, the Associated Press reported. Rescuers said nine people narrowly escaped and more than 30 people were wounded in the accident.
The Wenling city government has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. Heavy construction on the factory's roof may be the reason behind the sudden collapse.
Wenling is known for its footwear industry, and local authorities claim that one in five pairs of shoes available worldwide originate from the eastern Chinese city, according to BBC News.
Saturday's accident isn't the first to take place at one of Wenling's shoe factories, as 14 workers were killed in a fire at a shoe factory in the city in January 2014. Whether the collapse took place at the same factory has yet to be determined.
