Wanda shopping centre in Changshu city, part of Suzhou in Jiangsu province, is under investigation after three people died this past Sunday in its car park, after a tube fell from the roof and onto a car.
According to Xinhua News, the two adults sat in the front of the car and one adult whom was standing outside the car all died. A child who was sat in the rear of the car escaped unharmed.
After only opening in July of last year, the mall is now temporarily closed. No arrests have been made so far, and so details are unavailable, but it is believed that the people thought responsible for the accident are being held in police custody.
The Wanda Group’s website states, “Each Wanda Plaza is comprised of shopping malls, hotels, food and beverage locations, culture and entertainment destinations and apartments. It forms an independent business district and represents the centre of a city”.
Founded in 1988 in Dalian, Liaoning Province, Wanda was “one of the first shareholding companies in the PRC”, says the New York Times, of the company’s incorporation in 1992.
Mall accidents in China are common; many people each year die or are severely injured in escalator and elevator malfunctions or falls. Two toddlers fell to their deaths in Tianjin last year, while in the same year an escalator disaster in Hong Kong seriously injured 18 people.
Nevertheless, as an emerging world player, China is paying greater attention to the health and safety of its people, which is perhaps why the country is now seeking top talent in health and safety management from abroad.
Linkedin currently has China jobs listings for health and safety managers for pharmaceutical companies, safety engineers for aviation companies and food safety managers in the service industries. While China is still no match to the West with regards to health and safety standards, such are indicators as to how far the country has come since opening its doors in 1989.
