COVID-19 Isolation Facility in China Collapses in 2 Seconds, 48 Dead and 23 Missing

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] A seven-story hotel building in China, which was used as a forced quarantine facility for COVID-19, completely collapsed in just two seconds. The Chinese Communist Party and government have claimed victory in controlling COVID-19, but this major disaster of a building collapse is expected to cause difficulties in calming public sentiment.

On the 8th, major Chinese media including The Beijing News (Xinjingbao) released CCTV footage showing the collapse of the Xin Jia Hotel building in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, along with clouds of dust. The Xin Jia Hotel was completely destroyed, and the steel frame structures that supported the building were bent like noodles.

According to The Beijing News and others, at around 7:05 PM local time the previous day, the Xin Jia Hotel completely collapsed, trapping a total of 71 people inside the rubble, including 58 quarantine subjects and medical staff. Separately, nine people managed to exit the building on their own.

As a result, more than 800 personnel including firefighters and paramedics, along with 67 fire trucks and 15 ambulances, were deployed to conduct overnight rescue operations. As of 4 PM that day, 48 people had been rescued.

Among those rescued were a one-year-old baby and their parents, as well as a 12-year-old boy. The one-year-old baby was held by their father and suffered almost no injuries, and the parents’ condition was reported to be relatively stable. The 12-year-old boy broke the hearts of many Chinese by saying, “My mother is still inside,” the moment he was rescued.

Of the rescued individuals, 38 are receiving treatment in hospitals, but 10 have died. The remaining 23 are still presumed to be buried under the collapsed building. Rescue teams, including local firefighters, are wearing masks during the operations to guard against possible COVID-19 infection.

The Xin Jia Hotel was used as a centralized observation facility for forced quarantine of people coming from other Chinese regions with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, such as Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province. The hotel occupied floors 2 through 6 of the seven-story building, while shops and company offices were located on the 1st and 7th floors. Previously, China had implemented measures requiring people arriving from key domestic areas such as Hubei Province to quarantine for 14 days in designated facilities or at home before resuming normal activities.

According to the Korean Consulate General in Guangzhou, three Korean nationals currently quarantined in Quanzhou are staying at other designated facilities. Initially, four Koreans were forcibly quarantined in Quanzhou, but one was recently released from quarantine.

Meanwhile, at the time of the accident, renovation work was underway on the first floor of the building, leading local authorities to focus on the possibility that this incident was a man-made disaster. According to preliminary investigations, workers conducting renovation on a vacant commercial space on the first floor noticed deformation in a pillar the night before the accident and informed the building owner. However, three minutes later, the hotel building suddenly collapsed.

Local authorities are investigating the possibility that the collapse was related to structural defects in the building or the ongoing renovation work. The building owner has been arrested for a detailed investigation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.