Three students died in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province after a gym roof collapsed while they were playing basketball on Monday night as authorities issued a red alert warning for blizzards. Photo by Wang Jinawei/Xinhua/EPA-EFE
Three junior high school students died in a northeastern China gymnasium on Monday night after its roof collapsed during a heavy snow warning in the area.
Local officials said seven people were inside the gym in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province. Three others escaped and one person sustained light injuries. Advertisement
The three students were playing basketball at the Yuecheng gymnasium in Jiamusi when the roof collapsed, said Huanan County government officials. Four of the trapped students were freed from the rubble and taken to a local hospital where three died.
Local media reported that the person responsible for the gym’s management has been detained and the incident is being investigated.
The section of the building that collapsed was a 675-square-meter single-story area. The building has been operated by a fitness club, which runs sports activities like basketball, table tennis and badminton, officials said.
The gymnasium was part of the Yuecheng plaza complex, which was finished in July 2018. The building passed inspection in 2020.
Huanan authorities had issued a red alert for snowstorms Monday afternoon, China’s highest warning. The warning urges local businesses to close “if necessary.” The gym operated despite the warning. Advertisement
