
The containment wall gave way due to an accumulation of water above it and collapsed onto the housing where plant workers lived in the city of Qingtao, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
According to local government officials, about 40 people were in the dormitory-like barracks when the accident happened. The city has experienced heavy rains over the past four days. Chinese authorities have declared a so called blue alert due to torrential rain in seven provinces in southern and eastern China and in two autonomous regions.