GUANGZHOU: Preliminary investigations into a building site collapse in Guangzhou that killed at least one have found that ignorance of rules by a real-estate developer could be the fundamental cause.

　　One 12-year-old boy was buried under a wall for two days then found dead on Saturday afternoon.

　　Police and firefighters are still battling to reach his twin sister, but police and doctors say there is little hope after 72 hours beneath the rubble.

　　The collapse of the large building site in Haizhu District caused a nearby nine-storey hotel and an eight-floor residential building to lean, trapped five people, including two children, and forced the city's No 2 metro line to close.

　　The local government has organized an emergency meeting to discuss safety issues on construction sites. A special team has been set up.

　　According to the Guangzhou Production Safety Supervision Bureau, the Guangzhou Nanyi Real Estate Development Company paid no heed to the bureau's repeated warnings about their project's risks in the design and construction process.

　　For example, the foundations for the project were designed to be 16.2 metres deep - but the actual depth now stands at 20.3 metres, which, experts say, could affect the safety of other buildings nearby.

　　A resident from the nearby collapsed residential building told CCTV yesterday that cracks were visible on their floors during the building work. But workers were sent to their homes to just fix the cracks with cement.

　　"They told us our building was safe as the frame was very strong," the middle-aged woman said. "Even though I am not an expert in construction, I know a soft foundation might be fatal even if the frame is strong."

　　Mother of the twins Lai Youying, hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, is devastated.

　　She had been sitting and chatting with her family when the accident happened.

　　"I can't imagine what on earth I am going to live for without my children," said Lai.

　　Three of the five people trapped were rescued and hospitalized and the metro line was re-opened on Saturday. Buses are still forced to make detours.

　　The local government had to evacuate more than 590 people of 198 families and organized the rescue work immediately.

　　Some of the residents were evacuated from hotels near the building site, and others preferred to stay with friends or relatives. They were still being told to keep away yesterday, although allowed in briefly to get essentials.