Eleven people were killed when a school gymnasium collapsed in northeast China. The last person still buried was found dead, Chinese state media reported.
Aerial photos by Chinese state media show a roof completely collapsed: a gymnasium collapsed in the city of Qiqihar in the northeast China region of Heilongjiang. The room belongs to a secondary school, Zhongxue in Chinese. This is a high school for 12-15 year olds.
According to Chinese state media, 19 people were in the corridor at the time of the accident and 11 were found dead. Four people were rescued from the rubble, four others managed to save themselves in the collapse.
According to local media surveys, the people in the hall would be girls from a volleyball team. It is said that they trained there during the current school holidays.
Cause of accident possibly construction material
Authorities are now looking into why the school’s gymnasium roof may have collapsed. According to media reports, initial investigations showed that workers had illegally stored perlite rock on the roof of the sports hall. Material was therefore needed to build a new teaching building next to the sports hall.
Perlite rock has a high water storage capacity. According to investigations, the material was soaked with water and gained weight due to heavy rain, which caused the collapse of the roof. According to information, those responsible for the construction company have been arrested and investigations are being carried out.