At least 11 people, many believed to be children, were killed in the Chinese city of Qiqihar on Sunday after the concrete roof of a gymnasium collapsed as a girls’ volleyball team played inside.
Witnesses said there was “nowhere to hide” for those in the building, which photos show had completely collapsed, possibly under the weight of illegally piled materials on top.
Amidst the horror, the high school team coach was found alive by rescuers clawing through the rubble after hearing the girls’ names called out.
The catastrophic collapse of No. 34 high school in Longsha district, in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, was reported at 2:56 pm (06:56 GMT) on Sunday, according to the provincial fire and rescue service.
Devastated parents waited at the local hospital for news of their daughters, including a man claiming to be the father of a dead student who said there had been no updates from authorities on their girls for hours.
Witnesses said there was ‘nowhere to hide’ for those in the building, which was pictured as completely collapsing
Rescue workers comb through the rubble at the site of the collapse in Qiqihar
Firefighters transport equipment during a rescue operation at the site where a school gymnasium roof collapsed
The wrecked carriage was found calling out the names of its students by rescuers clawing through the rubble
In a widely shared video on social media, the angry father complained that the government sent police to keep an eye on the parents, but did not send anyone to monitor their children.
“They tell me my daughter is gone, but we never saw the child. All the children had their faces covered in mud and blood when they were sent to the hospital. I begged, please let me identify the child. What if that wasn’t my child?’ the man said.
Initially, 15 people were trapped under the rubble and state media learned at 10 am (02:00 GMT) that authorities had withdrawn the last remaining person, a student, who was devoid of vital signs.
It was not immediately clear whether the other victims were adults.
‘The team consisted of students from different grades. They had just returned to the school a few days ago after an out-of-town game,” an eyewitness told state radio.
A family member told reporters in a state-backed media outlet that his niece was a member of the school’s women’s volleyball team and was training at the gym at the time of the incident.
There were 19 people in the gym when the accident occurred, four of whom managed to escape, authorities said.
Photos showed large cranes being hoisted onto the side of the school building while rescue efforts were still underway
The roof of a gymnasium at No.34 Middle School of Qiqihar collapsed at 2:56 PM on July 23
Several emergency services were photographed as the death toll rose on Sunday
An aerial view from above of the scene in social media photos showed a completely collapsed roof with rescuers in the gym next to large boulders of concrete.
Other photos showed large cranes hoisted to the side of the school building while rescue efforts were still underway.
The region and several parts of China have had heavy rains this weekend, causing flooding and damage in some areas.
A preliminary investigation found that construction workers illegally placed perlite, a mineral with a high water content that can absorb water, on the roof of the gymnasium during the construction of a teaching building next to the gymnasium, Xinhua reported.
Under continuous rains, the perlite absorbed water and became heavier, causing the roof to collapse, state media said.
A user on Weibo, China’s popular social media platform, commented, “How can the relevant department not understand the common sense that you can’t put heavy objects on the roof? This needs to be thoroughly investigated.’
An in-depth investigation is underway and individuals in charge of the construction company have been taken into police custody, Xinhua said.