WUHAN - Five people have been detained over a fatal construction elevator accident that killed 19 people on Thursday in Central China's Hubei province, local police said Saturday.

The elevator plummeted from the 30th floor of an apartment building under construction in the provincial capital of Wuhan at 1:26 pm, killing everyone inside, most of whom were construction workers, municipal police said.

Those being detained are from four companies responsible for the construction or supervision of the apartment building project, or the installation of the elevator, police said.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.