Last victim pulled from rubble of China virus quarantine hotel

Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Quanzhou, in China’s eastern Fujian province on March 7, 2020. – Around 70 people were trapped after the Xinjia Hotel collapsed on March 7 evening, officials said. (Photo by STR / AFP)

BEIJING — The death toll from the collapse of a coronavirus quarantine facility in east China rose to 29 on Thursday as the final victim was recovered from the rubble, authorities said.

Dozens of people were pulled alive from the wreckage of the six-story Xinjian hotel in the coastal city of Quanzhou, which collapsed on Saturday night.

More than 40 were injured in the accident, with 27 found dead in the rubble and two dying later from their injuries, according to state media.

China’s emergency management ministry said the body of the final victim was recovered Thursday morning.

The State Council has set up an investigation into the collapse, the ministry said.

The building had been repurposed to house people who recently had contact with patients confirmed with COVID-19, the state-run People’s Daily newspaper reported.

The hotel collapsed on Saturday night, with footage published by local media appearing to show the building’s facade crumbling to the ground in seconds, exposing the structure’s steel frame.

A preliminary investigation found serious problems with its construction, the People’s Daily reported Wednesday, citing the deputy mayor of Quanzhou, Hong Ziqiang.

Edited by MUF