State Council to oversee probe as restaurant collapse deaths hit 29

The Work Safety Committee of China's State Council will supervise the investigation into Saturday's restaurant collapse in Northern Shanxi province which caused 29 deaths, the committee said in a statement.

The accident happened at around 9:40 am when relatives and fellow villagers were attending the birthday party banquet of an 80-year-old person at a restaurant in Chenzhuang village in Xiangfen county, in the city of Linfen, North China's Shanxi province, witnesses said.

The rescue operation ended at 3:45 am on Sunday. At that point, 57 people had been pulled out of the debris of the collapsed two-story building, including the 29 dead, seven severely injured and 21 slightly injured, rescue headquarters said.