Five people, including two children, died when a makeshift wall collapsed in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities said Thursday.

The accident happened at about 6:00 p.m. Wednesday in the Dongsheng district of Erdos, some 250 kilometers southwest of the region's capital city of Hohhot.

An initial investigation indicated that poor construction and maintenance compounded by heavy rains and strong winds were to blame for the collapse of the wall, which was three meters high and 30 meters long.