24-7-2023 (BEIJING) A tragic incident occurred in Qiqihar, China on Sunday (July 23), where a high school gymnasium roof collapsed, resulting in the death of ten people.
According to reports from Xinhua News Agency, the collapse happened in the afternoon at the No. 34 Middle School in Qiqihar city.
At the time of the accident, there were 19 people inside the gymnasium. Four individuals managed to escape on their own, but 15 others were trapped. As of Monday (July 24) at 5:30 AM, rescue teams have managed to extract 14 individuals from the debris. Among them, four were found lifeless, six succumbed to their injuries despite all efforts to save them, and four others are in a stable condition. One person is still trapped.
Preliminary investigations revealed that during the construction process of an adjacent teaching complex next to the gymnasium, the construction unit had illegally stacked perlite on the gymnasium’s roof. Due to heavy rainfall, the perlite became waterlogged and increased the load on the roof, leading to its collapse. A thorough investigation into the incident is still underway.
The person in charge of the construction unit responsible for the teaching complex has been detained by the police.
According to various Chinese media reports, the school’s women’s volleyball team was training inside the gymnasium at the time of the incident, which is why news of more than ten individuals being trapped emerged immediately after the collapse. As of 10:25 PM that evening, rescue teams managed to retrieve the coach of the volleyball team from the wreckage, while ongoing search efforts continued.
Reports also mentioned that Qiqihar No. 34 Middle School recently achieved second place in the high school volleyball competition at the 18th Student Games hosted by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education and the Provincial Sports Bureau.
