BEIJING -- Twelve people were killed when the elevator they were riding in plunged to the ground at a construction site in southeast China on Thursday, state press reported.
The accident occurred at the construction site of a residential building in Xiapu county, Fujian province, Xinhua news agency said.
The 12 victims were found dead at the site of the accident, which occurred about 6:40 a.m.
An investigation has been launched, it added.
China has a dismal work safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in mines, factories and on construction sites.
On Tuesday, 11 construction workers were killed and 12 injured in southwest China's Chongqing city when a crane container carrying them at a building site plunged to the ground.