A brick wall collapsed on Saturday night in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province, killing 7 people and injuring 22 others.
The accident happened at around 8:00 PM Saturday during the opening ceremony of the Torch Festival in Yuanyang County in the Hani-Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Honghe. A wall 50 meters long and 2 meters high collapsed and crushed more than 30 locals and visitors.
By press time, seven people were confirmed dead, 22 others were injured to different degrees, including three seriously, a local source said. Nearly 3,000 local residents and tourists were present at the Torch Festival.
The Torch Festival is a traditional holiday of the Yi ethnic minority celebrated on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month on the Yi calendar. Torches are lit at night to ward off evil spirits and as a prayer for prosperity.
Also on Saturday, a farm vehicle overturned and plunged into a reservoir in Hengyang County, Hunan Province, killing five people and leaving two others missing, local police said.
At around 12:00 PM Saturday, a farm vehicle carrying 11 people overturned and plunged into a reservoir as it was passing Baishi Village.
Four people were killed on the spot, and one died in hospital. The dead included three children.
Rescuers are still searching for the two missing people.
(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2005)
