At least 11 people have died after the roof of a school gymnasium collapsed during a student volleyball team practice in northeastern China, media reported Monday.
At the time of the accident, 19 people were in the gym.
According to the local search and rescue agency, four persons escaped the horrific occurrence, while fifteen others remained trapped inside.
The state broadcaster CCTV said that as of 5:30 a.m. on Monday, 14 individuals had been extricated from the debris, “six of whom died after treatment failed and four were pulled out without vital signs.”
“A search and rescue operation involving nearly 160 firefighters and 39 fire trucks has been launched,” CCTV said.
According to Xinhua, a preliminary inquiry into the collapse revealed that construction workers had placed perlite, a type of volcanic glass, on the roof.
It added that the roof eventually collapsed due to the perlite expanding due to heavy rain.
“Those in charge of the construction company have been taken into police custody,” the state news agency reported.
China has low safety regulations and weak enforcement, contributing to a high industrial accident rate.
