China university housed 17,000 students in "illegal dorms"

A university in northwest China has been ordered to relocate 17,000 students after their dormitory buildings were labeled illegal and unsafe.

The work safety commission of Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, said on Tuesday that the 17 apartment buildings, rented by Northwest Normal University as student dorms, had serious fire and safety hazards.

The buildings were erected in 1999 without permission, the commission said.

Sources with the college said the buildings accommodate most of its undergraduate students. The university has 38,426 students, including 18,963 undergraduate students, according to it website.

The university told Xinhua it was still discussing the order, which it received on Tuesday morning. Endi