Eleven killed when gym roof collapses on girls' volleyball team

Rescuers work at school gym after building roof collapses in Qiqihar

The concrete roof of a school gym collapsed on Sunday in the Chinese city of Qiqihar, killing 11 people, many of the dead believed to be young volleyball players.

Initially, 15 people were trapped under the rubble, and state media were informed at 10:00 (2:00 GMT) that authorities had pulled out the last remaining person, a student who showed no signs of life.

Authorities said illegal stacking of materials on the roof may have caused the collapse.

The collapse at No. 34 Middle School in the Longsha District of Qiqihar City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, occurred at 2:56 pm on Sunday, the provincial fire and rescue department said, Xinhua News Agency reported. 5e.jpg» />

The women's volleyball team was training at the gym when the incident occurred, a father told China Youth Daily while waiting at a local hospital for news of his 16-year-old daughter.

“The team consisted of students selected from different classes. They had just returned to school a few days ago after a competition outside the city,” an eyewitness told state radio.

It was not immediately clear whether adults were among the victims, but on Sunday, state radio reported that the team’s coach was buried under the rubble.

A family member told reporters in state-supported media that his niece was a member of the school’s women’s volleyball team and was training in the gym at the time of the incident.

There were 19 people in the gym when the accident occurred, of whom four escaped, authorities said.

Rescuers work at the site of the high school gym collapse

In a video that went viral on social media, the irate father complained that the government had sent the police to keep an eye on the parents, but had not sent anyone to inform them about their children.

“I was told that my daughter was missing, 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 it wasn't my child?» the man said.

A view from above of the scene from social media photos showed a completely collapsed roof with rescuers in the gym next to large boulders of concrete.

Other pictures showed large cranes being lifted on the side of the school building as rescue efforts continue. > A preliminary investigation found that construction workers illegally placed Perlite, a mineral with a high water content and which can absorb water, on the roof of the gymnasium during the construction of an educational building adjacent to the gymnasium, Xinhua said. The popular social media platform commented, “How can the relevant department fail to understand the common sense that you cannot put heavy objects on the roof? This should be thoroughly investigated.”

The investigation is ongoing and those responsible for the construction company have been taken into police custody, Xinhua reports.