The Work Safety Committee of China's State Council will supervise the investigation into Saturday's restaurant collapse in Northern Shanxi province which caused 29 deaths, the committee said in a statement. (Photos: Xinhua)

The accident happened at around 9:40 am when relatives and fellow villagers were attending the birthday party banquet of an 80-year-old person at a restaurant in Chenzhuang village in Xiangfen county, in the city of Linfen, North China's Shanxi province, witnesses said.

The rescue operation ended at 3:45 am on Sunday. At that point, 57 people had been pulled out of the debris of the collapsed two-story building, including the 29 dead, seven severely injured and 21 slightly injured, rescue headquarters said.

The committee demanded the provincial government of Shanxi to immediately investigate the incident, and the result should be released to the public upon approval by the committee.

With the help of over 20 large machineries, and sniffer dogs and life detectors, 840 rescuers are trying to locate people in the debris. Earlier they used small tools and bare hands to search for trapped ones.

Photo taken on Aug 29, 2020 shows the rescue site of the collapsed restaurant in Xiangfen county of Linfen city, North China's Shanxi province.