Two Afghan workers died and 31 others including two Chinese workers injured as a hospital building under renovation with Chinese assistance suddenly collapsed Monday afternoon in Afghan capital of Kabul.

"We have recovered two bodies and 29 injured from the debris of ravaged Jamhoriat hospital," police and rescuers told Xinhua on the scene.

"One of the two Chinese workers, who jumped from the third floor when the incident occurred was slightly wounded while the other working at the first floor was hit by debris," an official said.

Afghan police and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) rushed to the scene and cordoned off the construction site. All the injured workers of the tragic incident which occurred at 4:50 PM local time in Kabul downtown were taken to nearby hospital for treatment.

However, officials ruled out the possibility of sabotage in the mishap, saying that investigation was under way.

According to the plan of a Chinese construction company, the collapsed building should be torn down to build a new one, which was rejected by Afghan government. A team of experts from China reviewed and adopted the suggestion of Afghan side on January, which preferred to fix and renovate rather than put up a new building.

The right side of the building which has already been renovated is intact and unharmed while the other side under construction fell down completely.

Minor earthquake on the day could be a cause of the collapse, some witnesses said. Tow earthquakes earlier this year jolted Kabul damaging a few houses in the ruined city.

The US$5 million renovation project of Jamhoriat Shafakhana or Republican hospital is a major Chinese-aided project in the post-war Afghanistan along with Parwan irrigation project.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2004)