China: 11 die as roof collapses on girl’s volleyball team
Eleven people have died after the roof of a school gymnasium in north-east China collapsed while it was being used by a girls’ volleyball team, state media reports.
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Many of the victims are children, eyewitnesses told local media, although this is yet to be officially confirmed.
Anguished parents have thronged a nearby hospital seeking updates.
Only eight of the 19 people who were inside the gym in the industrial province of Heilongjiang survived.
Police have detained the bosses at a local construction company, according to local media.
They have been accused of dumping perlite, a form of volcanic glass, on the roof of the gym while working on an adjacent building project.
The mineral had soaked up rain water following heavy downpours, which sent the roof into a collapse at 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
The coach of the middle school’s girls’ volleyball team was heard calling out the students’ names as rescue teams clawed through the rubble in Qiqihar city, China National Radio reported.
VagrantShadow on July 24th, 2023 at 11:26 UTC »
Such sad news to read in the morning.
That is going to be haunting for the coach for the rest of their lives.
Latter_Fortune_7225 on July 24th, 2023 at 09:43 UTC »
Those construction guys are gonna die
TRIGMILLION on July 24th, 2023 at 09:06 UTC »
I should never read the news first thing in the morning. Poor girls and families.