China lift plunge in Wuhan city kills 19

Officials said that they were investigating the accident

A platform lift at a construction site in central China has plunged 30 floors to the ground, killing its 19 passengers, state-run media report.

The accident happened on Thursday in the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, says Xinhua news agency.

The lift, which officials say fell 328ft (100m), mostly carried construction workers.

Officials are investigating the accident, Xinhua says.

"The accident occurred at the construction site, the elevator was being used for construction purposes," a local official was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

It happened at 01:26 local time (05:26 GMT), the official added.

Thousands of people die every year in work-related accidents in China, where safety rules are often flouted, correspondents say.