AN investigation report on a self-built residential structure collapse incident that took place in Hunan Province in April 2022 was made public Sunday.

The incident occurred in the provincial capital Changsha on April 29, 2022, leaving 54 dead and nine wounded. The State Council set up an investigation team for the incident shortly afterward.

According to the report, deliberated and adopted at a State Council executive meeting recently, the incident resulted directly from illegal construction. The report determined that the five-story self-constructed building, which later extended to eight stories, was of poor quality and couldn’t support itself after the extension, causing certain sections to deteriorate and eventually leading to the collapse.

The report also mentioned that homeowners refused to follow evacuation instructions even when the building showed obvious signs of collapsing, which resulted in many casualties.

The report noted that relevant authorities of Hunan Province, Changsha, and the local Wangcheng District were sluggish in rectifying illegal construction, shifted responsibilities in daily oversight, and were negligent in delivering punishment for unlawful behaviors.

Regarding local public servants and officials who failed to fulfill duties or were involved in corruption, relevant leads and materials have been transferred to an investigation group of the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision, said the report. (Xinhua)