At least 17 people were killed while 23 others got seriously injured when a two-storey building that was being renovated collapsed in Central China, officials said on Saturday.

According to officials, the people killed and injured are construction workers who were propping up the second floor when the building collapsed into a rubble, trapping the victims on Friday afternoon.

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Rescue workers rushed to the site at Wuyang County in the town of Beiwudu in Hennan province and managed to pull 40 people from the debris - including the 17 people killed and the injured. Nine construction workers were rushed to the hospital and were declared to be in critical condition.

Doctors at the Wuyang County Hospital where the victims were taken said one of the injured workers sustained an injury to his spinal column and will never walk again.

County officials said they will conduct an investigation to determine who was responsible for the collapse. Five people have been taken into custody by the police for questioning.

Dr. Liu Jinsan, head of Wuyang County Hospital, said many of the victims suffered broken bones after they were buried under the rubble.

"When the patients came and were sent into intensive care unit, their injuries were really bad," Liu said.

Reports indicate that the workers were using a jack to hoist and prop up the second floor when the building collapse. The building was reportedly built in the 1990s.

Tagsconstruction workers, Wuyang Hospital, Hennan Province, Dr. Liu Jinsan