A tragic incident has occurred in north-east China where the roof of a school gymnasium collapsed while a girls’ volleyball team was using it, resulting in the death of eleven people.
Eyewitnesses have mentioned that many of the victims are children, but official confirmation is still pending.
The incident, which took place in the industrial province of Heilongjiang, has left the local community devastated. At the time of the collapse, there were 19 people inside the gym, and sadly, only eight of them managed to survive.
A preliminary investigation has revealed that the illegal accumulation of perlite, a type of volcanic glass, on the roof had absorbed rainwater, leading to the structural failure at around 15:00 local time.
Rescue teams worked tirelessly to search for survivors amidst the rubble, while anguished parents anxiously gathered at a nearby hospital, seeking updates on their loved ones’ condition.
China National Radio reported that the coach of the middle school’s girls’ volleyball team was present during the rescue efforts, calling out the names of students in the hope of locating them.
As the rescue operation extended into the following day, parents expressed their frustration with the school officials, raising concerns about the lack of proper communication and transparency regarding the ongoing efforts.
“They tell me my daughter is gone but we never got to see the child. All the children had their faces covered with mud and blood when they were sent to the hospital. I pleaded, please let me identify the child. What if, that wasn’t my child?” one man said in a video that has been widely-shared on social media.
“What have [the authorities] been doing four, five, or even six hours after the children were sent to hospital? … Doctors are not communicating with us about how the rescue is going.
“We have elderly people at home, we need to [help them] be mentally prepared. There are doctors, police officers and other government officials here. But we have not heard anything from you,” he said.
Construction accidents are common in China and have been blamed on lax safety standards and poor enforcement.
In June, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in north-west China killed at least 31 people. A preliminary investigation found that a restaurant employee was replacing a broken valve on a liquefied gas tank when the blast occurred.
In April, a fire at a Beijing hospital killed 29 and led some desperate survivors flee by jumping out of the windows.