The death toll rose to nine from the collapse of a shoe factory in eastern China, dpa cited state media as reporting Sunday. Fifty-one people were working in the factory in the city of Wenling, Zhejiang province, when the building collapsed at around 4 pm (8:00 GMT) Saturday, official Xinhua news agency reported. Nine people managed to escape on their own, and rescuers pulled out 42 others and sent them to hospital by early Sunday. The cause of the accident is unclear.