People in China are worried after a gymnasium collapsed in Heilongjiang province for the second time in a few months.
This incident happened on Monday night, leading to the tragic loss of three lives.
It occurred following a period of unusually cold weather and heavy snowfall.
The victims’ identities are not yet known, but reports mention that there were children in the gym when it collapsed.
Videos shared on the internet show rescuers searching through the snow-covered debris on a basketball court, desperately trying to find survivors.
In another video widely shared on Chinese social media, a woman can be seen running towards the building, shouting in distress, “My son! My son is in there.”
On Tuesday, authorities confirmed the heartbreaking news that three people had lost their lives, with one person suffering serious injuries at the Yuecheng Gym Stadium in Jiamusi City.
The authorities have apprehended the person in charge of the gym, but they haven’t provided more details about the incident’s cause.
This tragic event has left many people drawing parallels with another gymnasium collapse in the same province earlier this year, which claimed the lives of 11 people.
In July, the roof of a school gymnasium in Qiqihar city collapsed due to heavy rain.
Authorities revealed that the roof had collapsed because of construction materials left by contractors. Following that tragedy, they conducted safety checks on other buildings in the area.
On Tuesday, people were demanding answers and expressing their concerns on Weibo, where the Jiamusi disaster became a top trending topic with over 1.3 billion views.
One user posted a comment that received more than 9,000 likes, saying, “The collapse of the stadium in Qiqihar was not a long time ago, and there were checks everywhere after that – what did the checks do? This is an apparent man-made disaster.”
Another user added, “Heilongjiang again, stadium again. Crappy quality, murderer project.”
In the immediate aftermath, authorities did not confirm whether the Yuecheng Gym Stadium had undergone safety checks after the July incident.
However, a check of the county authorities’ WeChat account revealed that officials had conducted a safety check on the stadium in July.
Online, locals are calling on authorities to take more action, including increased inspections of large public facilities in the province.
One comment reads, “We hope the authorities can take responsibility, inspect these stadiums, and prevent further tragedies as soon as possible.”
Heilongjiang is China’s northernmost province and is currently experiencing a sudden cold snap, with blizzard conditions causing school closures and numerous flight and train cancellations.
Authorities are advising residents to stay indoors due to severe weather warnings, while state media has warned of icy roads and power outages.
