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Ten people were confirmed dead and one person remained trapped under the rubble after the roof of a school gymnasium collapsed Sunday in Qiqihar City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, China Media Group reported on Monday morning.
As of 5:30 a.m. Monday, 14 people have been pulled from the rubble, of which four did not have any vital signs and six died despite treatment.
The roof collapse was reported at 2:56 p.m. on Sunday, according to the provincial fire and rescue department. When the incident took place, there were 19 people at the gymnasium which covers some 1,200 square meters at the No. 34 Middle School in Longsha District.
According to a preliminary investigation, construction workers had illegally placed perlite on the gymnasium roof during the construction of an adjacent building. The perlite soaked in water after rain and gained weight, causing the roof to cave in.
The gymnasium's walls have a grid structure, and the roof is made of concrete slabs, according to local authorities.
Search and rescue efforts as well as an in-depth investigation are underway.
(CGTN)
