China orders nationwide renovation of buildings with safety hazards

BEIJING - China has ordered a nationwide renovation of old and shabby buildings that possess safety hazards as a series of house collapse accidents have sounded the alarm.

Local governments are urged to screen buildings as the country enters the rainy season, according to a meeting presided by Chen Zhenggao, minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, on Wednesday.

Three buildings have collapsed in Southwest China's Guizhou province since May 20, killing dozens of people.

A floor partly collapsing at a spa in north China's Tianjin municipality Tuesday night killed six people.

The ministry called on local governments to increase fiscal spending on renovation and suggested the participation of private capital.