School Sports Building Concrete Roof Collapses: 11 People Killed, Majority Allegedly Volleyball Team Players

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster)

JAKARTA - The concrete roof of a collapsed school sports building in China's Qiqihar City on Sunday, killed 11 people, mostly believed to be female volleyball players, while authorities said the illegal buildup of material on the roof most likely had led to the collapse of the roof.

Initially, 15 people were trapped under the rubble and state media found out that at 10 am local time, authorities had removed the last remaining person, a student, who had no vital signs.

The collapse at Junior High School No. 34 in Longsha District in Qiqihar, located in Heilongjiang Province, was reported at 14:56 on Sunday, according to the provincial fire department and rescue, according to Xinhua.

A women's volleyball team was training at a game when the incident occurred, a father told China Youth Daily, as he waited anxiously at a local hospital to hear news about his 16-year-old daughter.

"The team consisted of students selected from different classes. They just returned to school a few days ago after participating in competitions outside the city," an eye witness told state radio.

It was not immediately clear whether there were adult casualties, but state radio reported on Sunday that the team's coach was buried under the rubble.

Separately, a family member told reporters in a media that his nephew was a member of the school women's volleyball team and was training at the scene when the incident occurred.

There were 19 people in the game when the accident occurred, with four people managed to escape, authorities said.

In a video that went viral on social media, an angry father complained the government sent the police to keep an eye on parents, but did not send anyone to give the latest news about their children.

"They told me my son was missing, but we could never see the kid. All the kids were covered in mud and blood when they were sent to the hospital. I beg, please let me identify the kid. What if it wasn't my son?" said the man.

An aerial photo from the air from images on social media shows a collapsing roof, with rescue workers inside the sports building next to the concrete chunks.

Other photos show a large crane lifted on the side of the school building while rescue efforts are still ongoing.

It is known that the region and parts of China experienced heavy rains this weekend, causing flooding and damage in some areas.

Preliminary investigations found construction workers illegally placed droplets, minerals with high water levels and could absorb water, on the roof of a Gymnasium during the construction of a teaching building adjacent to a Gymnasium, Xinhua said.

"Under constant rain, Perlit absorbs water and gets heavier, resulting in the collapse of the roof," said state media.

A user on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China, said in his comments, "How is it possible that the relevant department does not understand common sense that you should not put a heavy object on the roof? This must be thoroughly investigated."

In-depth investigations are ongoing and the people responsible for the construction company have been detained by police, Xinhua reported.