Rescuers carry an injured survivor on a stretcher at an accident site after  in Wenzhou, in China's Zhejiang province on October 10.

Editor’s Note: The story below contains a graphic image

Story highlights

The buildings collapsed early Monday local time

State media reports they were built by villagers

28 people were rescued from the rubble

Hong Kong CNN  — 

At least 22 people were killed in eastern China when residential buildings collapsed early Monday morning local time, state media reported.

It’s not clear what caused the collapse in Wenzhou, which is 285 miles (460 km) south of Shanghai and located in the province of Zhejiang.

Xinhua news agency reported that the buildings which fell apart were constructed by villagers. The cause of the collapse, according to the agency, is still being investigated.

Rescuers search for survivors at an accident site after four buildings caved in during the early hours in Wenzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang province on October 10.

Some 28 people were rescued, and the six who survived are in stable condition, according to Xinhua.

The latest, the agency reported, was a young girl found in the rubble being shielded from the cave-in by her parents.

The tragic image appears show the immediate aftermath of the collapse frozen in time.

Rescuers try to save a young survivor who was protected by the body of her parents at an accident site after four buildings caved in during the early hours in Wenzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province.

Xinhua reports that the girl’s parents died, but People’s Daily, another state-run news organization, said it “remains to be seen” if the couple will live.

The 800-person rescue operation was finished at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, Xinhua reported.