The incident took place when 19 people were in the gymnasium. While four managed to escape, 15 got trapped under the debris. After the rescue officials arrived on the scene, all 15 were pulled out but only four survived the impact of the collapsing roof.
“The ceiling of the gymnasium completely fell down and the venue covers an area of about 1,200 square meters,” state media CGTN reported.
According to preliminary investigations, perlite, a form of volcanic glass that was piled on the roof soaked up the rainwater, which caused the roof to collapse around 15:00 local time Sunday (July 23).
Even Chinese President Xi Jinping commented on the incident, calling it ‘heartbreaking’, and added it was a ‘profound lesson’. According to CCTV, Xi pulled up the officials and ordered a nationwide safety risk review and strengthening of safety supervision in key sectors.
Similarly, in February, at least 53 people were left dead while dozens were injured after a coal mine collapsed in Alxa League in Inner Mongolia.
