China
State media reports that building materials illegally placed on the roof of the gymnasium were the cause of the collapse
Portal
Monday 24 July 2023 06:56 BST
Eleven people were killed after the concrete roof of a school gym in the Chinese city of Qiqihar collapsed – many believed to be young women volleyball players – and authorities said illegal stacking of materials on the roof may have caused the collapse.
The collapse at No. 34 Middle School in Longsha District in Qiqihar, northeastern Heilongjiang Province, was reported early Sunday afternoon, but the last remaining person was not pulled out of the rubble until Monday morning.
When the accident happened, 19 people were in the gym, four were able to escape, authorities said.
A women’s volleyball team was training at the gym when the incident happened, a father told China Youth Daily.
“The team consisted of selected students from different grades. They had just returned to school a few days ago after an out-of-town competition,” an eyewitness told state radio.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the victims were adults, but state broadcaster reported on Sunday that the team’s coach was buried under the rubble.
A family member told reporters from a state-sponsored media outlet that at the time of the incident, his niece was on the school’s women’s volleyball team and was working out at the gym.
In a video that went viral on social media, a disgruntled father complained that the government had sent police to monitor the parents but had sent no one to keep track of their children.
“They tell me my daughter is gone, but we never saw the child. All the children’s faces were covered in mud and blood when they were taken to the hospital. I begged, please let me identify the child. What if that wasn’t my child?” the man said.
The region and several parts of China experienced heavy rains this weekend, causing flood damage in some areas.
A preliminary investigation found that during the construction of a teaching building next to the gymnasium, construction workers illegally placed perlite, a mineral with high water content that can absorb water, on the roof of the gymnasium, Xinhua reported.
During sustained rains, the perlite soaked up water and gained weight, causing the roof to collapse, state media said.
An in-depth investigation is underway and people responsible for the construction company have been taken into police custody, Xinhua said.
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