The collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine center in the Chinese city of Quanzhou has left dozens of people trapped under debris. Footage from the scene shows the building on its side and almost entirely flattened.
The Xinjia Hotel collapsed on Saturday evening, trapping at least 70 people under the rubble. The incident prompted a massive emergency services response; at least 38 people have already been rescued.
The operation will apparently continue into the night: rescuers have brought powerful floodlights to illuminate the collapsed building. Over 700 firefighters, 67 fire engines and 36 emergency rescue vehicles are at the scene.
— CCTV Asia Pacific (@CCTVAsiaPacific) March 7, 2020
The hotel has sustained massive damage – its walls have been reduced to rubble and dust, while only some bent steelwork offers a reminder of the building’s former shape. It has apparently fallen onto its façade, crashing into an open parking lot in front of it, imagery from the scene suggests.
The hotel was used as a quarantine center for people who had been in close contact with coronavirus patients, Chinese state media have said. The 80-room hotel building was reportedly quite new – it had opened in June 2018 – and the cause of the collapse remains unclear.
