This picture of a man using his body to shield his three-year-old daughter from harm is one of the most touching images to emerge from the building collapse in Wenzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Monday.

Rescuers found the pair more than 12 hours after the collapse of the four six-storey residential buildings.

Wu Ningxi survived with only minor injuries, thanks to her father, a 26-year-old shoe factory worker.

He died.

The body of the girl's mother was discovered not far from the pair. The cause of the disaster was still under investigation.