BEIJING – Chinese state media say local officials in a central province have violated rules in forcibly demolishing part of a hospital, sending medical staff fleeing and burying under rubble six bodies being processed at a morgue.
The state broadcaster CCTV said Sunday that Xiong Zhiliang, an official overseeing demolition work in the city of Zhengzhou, was fired, while local police were further investigating the incident that took place on Thursday.
Forced demolitions are common in Chinese cities, where local authorities turn to real estate development to fuel economic growth. Clashes over land are frequent, and some turn deadly.
The No. 4 Hospital of Zhengzhou University has accused the local government of ordering the demolition work after failing to get the hospital to agree to it for a road expansion project.
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