RESCUE workers yesterday picked through the rubble of a collapsed Chinese-owned building in a Cambodian beach town in a desperate search for survivors, after the construction site accident killed at least 17 people.

One person was pulled alive from the flattened seven-story building late Saturday, more than 12 hours after it collapsed in the beach resort of Sihanoukville.

By yesterday morning rescuers had scoured barely half of the debris of twisted metal, glass and large concrete slabs.

Three Chinese nationals and a Cambodian landowner have been held for questioning over the building collapse, which Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen blamed on “carelessness” by the construction company.

At least 1,000 rescue workers, soldiers, police, medics and Chinese construction experts have been deployed to the site.

Some wore hard hats and oxygen tanks as they searched alongside several construction diggers, while the relatives of the injured waited at nearby hospitals for news.

Rescuers pulled several bodies from the rubble late Saturday, shooting the death toll up to 17, with 24 injured. Cambodia’s prime minister said victims’ families would be given US$10,000 each.  (SD-Agencies)