At least 11 people have died in northeast China after the roof of a school gym collapsed, state media reported Monday.
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The building collapsed just before 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT) on Sunday in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Located a thousand kilometers northeast of Beijing, Qiqihar is a city near Mongolia and the Russian Far East.
AFP
“A total of eleven people died in the accident and the investigation is ongoing,” said public broadcaster CCTV.
According to local newspaper Heilongjiang Daily, nineteen people were in the gym at the time of the accident. Four people managed to escape and four others, who were pulled out of the rubble, survived.
CCTV footage showed the gym’s roof had completely collapsed and rescue workers were digging through the debris.
AFP
The rescue operations, which mobilized nearly 160 firefighters, have now ended, CCTV said.
Perlite – a form of volcanic glass – was used in the construction of the gymnasium’s roof, according to initial findings from the investigation submitted by New China.
Heavy rains on Sunday caused the siliceous material to expand and the roof to collapse, according to Chine Nouvelle.
Screenshot | Portal
Officials from the construction company were taken into custody, the authority said.
After decades of brisk construction activity, construction accidents regularly occur in China, partly at the expense of safety regulations.