Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    PART of a wall in an industrial park in Longgang District collapsed yesterday morning, killing three passers-by and injuring another seriously, as heavy rain swept the city.

    At around 7:40 a.m., part of the 25-meter-long and 3-meter-high wall toppled under the heavy rain. The trees behind the wall were also uprooted, almost blocking the entries to the industrial park.

    One of the four was reported dead at the scene and two others were pronounced dead after medical treatment in the Longgang District Central Hospital failed. The fourth man sustained multiple bone fractures, according to the hospital.

    Xu Lu, chief of the hospital’s publicity section, told Shenzhen Daily yesterday that by 3 p.m. the wounded man was still undergoing emergency treatment, but his situation was not life-threatening.

    The publicity chief has not revealed any other information about the injured or the three deceased.

    According to a report by sznews.com, the crumbled wall was part of a construction site belonging to a factory that manufactures bed mattresses.

    The downpour hit most areas in the city, but Longgang District, which lies in the east, was hit the worst. The area reportedly received more than 100 millimeters of rain yesterday morning.

    It was not the first time a wall had collapsed due to heavy rain and killed or injured people in Shenzhen. A piece of a wall at a construction site, also in Longgang District, crashed on a makeshift staff canteen and killed three workers July 16, 2011.

    Nearly 13 years ago, Typhoon Dujuan also brought down a factory building that was under construction in Guangming, then part of Bao’an District. That accident caused 16 deaths and 13 injuries.

    The Shenzhen Municipal Meteorological Observatory announced Monday that Shenzhen would be affected by heavy rain between Aug. 9 and today. Residents are reminded to be cautious of lightening storms.