A cave-in at a construction site injured eight workers and trapped at least one other in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Wednesday, local authorities said.

Rescuers search for trapped workers after a construction site collapsed in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Wednesday morning. Chen Liang / for China Daily

The collapse happened at 7:30 am in the underground structure of a planned market for home furnishings and building materials in Qiaokou district.

A staff member of the market, who declined to give a name, said that the workers were pouring concrete over the roof of the building when the collapse happened.

At least one worker remained trapped in the rubble and a search by three teams of firefighters continued, said an official surnamed Tong from the fire control department of Wuhan on Wednesday.

The cave-in caused a clutter of steel bars and concrete that made the rescue work difficult, Tong said.

Eight injured people pulled from the debris were sent to Wuhan No 10 Hospital for treatment. Six workers were slightly injured and two critically, a doctor at the hospital said.

A resident surnamed Wang who lives near the construction site said that he heard a loud bang and felt a tremor when the site collapsed.

The construction company for the project is Zhejiang Baoye Construction Group.

Contact the writers at zhoulihua@chinadaily.com.cn and jinhaixing@chinadaily.com.cn.