Seven people responsible for a construction accident that claimed 22 lives were sentenced to between three and four-and-a-half years in prison Friday by Wenfeng District Court in Anyang in central China's Henan Province.

The accident occurred on May 12, 2004 when workers were dismantling construction frames around a chimney in Anyang, a city in Henan. The frames fell, killing 22 people.

The seven people, including Liu Lingshun, head of the construction team and six other managers and workers, were immediately detained. They were charged with having operated improperly when dismantling the frames.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2005)