
A mother and father were found in the rubble of their building shielding their baby daughter with their bodies after residential buildings collapsed in China.

The three were taken to hospital however it's been reported that the mother and father died shortly after arriving on October 11.

22 people have been confirmed dead after four six-storey residential buildings collapsed in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang province, yesterday.

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The ultimate sacrifice: The parents were found cowering over their daughter to protect her during the collapse

Racing against time: Rescuers search for survivors at the accident site in Lucheng industrial district in Wenzhou

Rescuers search for survivors at the accident site after four residential houses collapsed in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province

Rescuers carry an injured person on the rubble of collapsed buildings in Wenzhou, China

The three-year-old girl named Wu Ningxi survived with minor injuries however her parents died.

The family had been found buried alive in their living room.

Wu Ningxi's father, a shoe factory worker, was found under a thick cement pillar, draped over his daughter.

According to reports, the buildings had been packed with migrant workers who move from China's countryside to its towns and cities for work.

At least 22 people are dead and rescuers are frantically searching for survivors after four five-storey residential buildings collapsed in China.

The houses collapsed at 4am on October 10 in Lucheng, the industrial district of Wenzhou City in east China's Zhejiang province.

Rescuers are still trying to verify the number of people who remain trapped, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

Looking: Rescuers worked through the night to try and search for survivors after four residential houses collapsed

Survivors: A survivor rests on a bed in Wenzhou Central Hospital in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang province

At least eight people are dead and rescuers are frantically searching for survivors after four five-storey residential buildings collapsed

The houses collapsed at 4am on Monday in Lucheng, the industrial district of Wenzhou City

Pictures from the scene show rescue workers in orange sifting through mountains of rubble.

They worked into the night searching for survivors.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown.

According to the People's Daily Online, the buildings were built by villagers themselves.

There are five adjacent houses left standing however rescuers are demolishing them to avoid any secondary disasters.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown.

China has suffered a number of building collapses in the past, with some blamed on poor building material and bad construction.

In May, 16 people were reported dead after a residential building in Guizhou province collapsed due to landslides.

Rescuers lift an injured person on to a bed in the aftermath of the building collapses in Wenzhou, China

The structural remains of a residential building on a large pile of rubble and debris after it collapsed

Rescuers search for survivors at an accident site after four buildings caved in during the early hours

An estimated 20 people remain buried in the rubble, but rescuers are still verifying the number of people who remain trapped

Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings on early Monday morning

As of 10am, nine people were rescued but eight of them were later pronounced dead

Rescue workers search at the site where residential buildings collapsed in Wenzhou City

Rescue workers and sniffer dogs work their way through the debris and rubble after several building collapses in China

Nurses, rescue workers, firefighters, police and other authorities crowd around the scene of several building collapses