Coronavirus: Dozens trapped after quarantine hotel in China collapsed
7 March 2020, 16:34 | Updated: 7 March 2020, 20:45
Dozens of people have been trapped after a hotel in China being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility collapsed.
At least 40 people were pulled from the rubble after the Xinjia hotel in Quanzhou collapsed around 7.30pm local time on Saturday.
#Update: The Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a team to the site of Xinjia hotel, which collapsed in E China's Quanzhou on Sat evening, to assist local rescue work. The hotel is a medical observation site for close contacts with #COVID19 patients. https://t.co/44iEe8I1SV pic.twitter.com/L2ADWCrXr9
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 7, 2020
Chinese state media said the hotel was being used as a medical observation site for people who had been in close contact with Covid-19 patients.
Shocking footage posted by Global Times showed search teams looking for survivors as night fell in the eastern Chinese city.
The paper said in one tweet that “all-out efforts are being carried out for the rescue… to minimise casualties and prevent secondary accidents.”
They added: “Authorities also urged that a probe should be launched to investigate the cause for the collapse.”
