Compensation deal signed for all China power plant collapse victims

FENGCHENG, Jiangxi - Families of all victims in a construction site accident in eastern China's Jiangxi province have agreed to a compensation deal, according to the local rescue headquarters.

Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering, a contractor of Ganneng Fengcheng power station, where the collapse of a cooling tower's working platform killed 74 construction workers Thursday, offered 1.2 million yuan (174,300 US dollars) to each victim's family.

Local police have completed DNA matching between victims and their families, and the victims have been cremated. Most familes have now received the compensation.

Construction of the cooling tower was part of the expansion of the power plant owned by Jiangxi Ganneng, a state-owned corporation. The tower was planned to be a height of 156 meters, and over 70 meters was completed before the accident.

Fifteen people suspected of either "major liability" or "producing and selling shoddy products" have been put in police custody.

A work group from the State Council is investigating the collapse.