Wuhan, China— Scaffolding 18 stories high collapsed at a residential tower construction site in Hongshan District at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, killing three workers and injuring two others who were pouring concrete on the structure.
The scaffolding, a frame of steel tubes and planks surrounding the building’s east facade, buckled outward, then fell onto a lower platform and the street below. Workers on the 12th floor were thrown. Three were crushed under metal and planks and died at the scene.
Two other workers were pulled from the debris with fractures and head injuries and taken to Wuhan University Zhongnan Hospital. The site was evacuated. No pedestrians were hit, though a parked excavator was damaged.
"The scaffolding shook, then collapsed like dominoes. Dust covered the street. Workers shouted for help," said Li Ming, a delivery driver who was waiting outside the site gate and called 119.
Wuhan Emergency Management Bureau and work safety inspectors sealed the site and seized erection plans, load calculations, and inspection logs. Initial findings point to overloaded planks and missing diagonal bracing on the 10th to 14th floors.
"The scaffolding was modified to hold extra material to save crane time. That exceeds design load. Bracing was removed for access. That is a violation," a municipal safety inspector said at the site.
The general contractor, Wuhan Construction Group No.3, had been fined in 2025 for similar scaffolding violations at another site, according to public records.
China’s construction sector has seen repeated scaffolding collapses tied to rushed schedules and subcontracting. The Ministry of Housing requires third-party scaffolding inspection before use, but enforcement varies.
Families of the victims arrived at the site by noon. The company said it would suspend all projects citywide for safety checks.
The district prosecutor’s office said it would review whether to open a criminal case for major labor safety accident crime.
The site will remain closed until a full structural audit is completed and a new scaffolding plan is approved.
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