The official Xinhua News Agency said 28 other people were injured in the accident, including 21 in serious condition.
The restaurant was in Shanxi province’s Xiangfen county, about 400 miles southwest of Beijing.
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Rescuers search for victims (AP)
The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear.
Hundreds of rescue workers, wearing hardhats and face masks, searched for trapped people in a day-long operation.
Video posted by Chine Central Television showed them hefting heavy pieces of concrete.
At least once, the remaining frame of the building shook but did not fall.
