BEIJING, CHINA - AT LEAST seven people were killed on Saturday after the steel structure of a railway under construction collapsed in east China, burying three houses and injuring 21, state media reported.

The structure hit three houses, burying 28 people, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 450 police and firefighters rushed to the scene in Wenzhou city in Zhejiang province, according to a report posted on a local news website.

The reason for the collapse of the steel structure was unknown, but old or poorly built infrastructure is rife in China.

Last August, a new bridge in central China collapsed and killed 41 people. -- AFP