Gymnasium roof collapse kills 11 in China

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Nineteen people were inside the middle school gym on Sunday afternoon in the northeastern city of Qiqihar. A girls’ volleyball team was training in the gym when the roof collapsed, state-run media reported. Four people escaped. Local rescue workers found the last trapped person by 10 a.m. local time Monday and declared 11 people dead. Officials have not released the ages of the victims or said how many of those killed were students.

What caused the accident? A preliminary investigation suggested construction crews working on an adjacent building left construction material on the gym roof, according to a report from the state-run Xinhua media agency. The raw material soaked up rain, adding weight and contributing to the collapse, Xinhua reported.

Dig deeper: Read Kevin DeYoung’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Christians can respond to tragedy.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.