Scaffolding collapse kills worker

By Tom Qian  |   2009-5-18  |     ONLINE EDITION

ONE worker died and six were injured at an elevated road construction site in Minhang District early this morning when scaffolding collapsed as workers were pouring concrete.

A witness surnamed Tan who was at the crossing of Beiqing Road and Huaxiang Road at 6:40am said he heard the sound of something collapsing and thought for a second it was earthquake. He looked around and saw the scaffolding falling with the workers, according to the Shanghai Evening Post report today.

Lu Yaozhang, 52, from Wenshan County of Yunnan Province, died at the scene and six others were rushed to the Shanghai Armed Police Hospital for treatment. The workers, mostly from Anhui Province, are in a stable condition.

Lu Zhongcai, the son of Lu Yaozhang, said he was carrying construction materials when he heard the collapse. He rushed to the site and searched for his father. Twenty minutes later he found his father's body, his head lying in a pool of blood. Doctors pronounced him dead at the scene.

Lu stood sadly beside his father's body with his father's ID card in his hand. His sister also works on the construction site.

The Safety Supervision Department of Minhang District is investigating.