A disused factory building collapsed in northern China early Monday, burying 16 construction workers who were sleeping inside, an official said.
Rescuers were trying to reach those inside the collapsed building in a rural area of Wuan city in Hebei province.
A Wuan propaganda department official confirmed a state media report that the 16 were construction workers for an iron mine and had been staying in the building near the village of Houshan for the night. The official refused to give his name, as is common with Chinese officials.
An investigation into the cause of the collapse was under way.
Construction workers are often migrants who have left their homes in search of a better life. They are sometimes forced to use makeshift housing, including tents and abandoned buildings, to be close to their temporary work sites.