China quarantine hotel collapse toll rises to 26

March 11, 2020 - 10:55

The death toll from the collapse of a coronavirus quarantine hotel in east China rose to 26 on Wednesday, with three more people feared still trapped in the rubble, according to state media.

Rescuers transfer a man, who was trapped in the rubble for 69 hours, to an ambulance at the accident site of a hotel building collapse in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

BEIJING — The death toll from the collapse of a coronavirus quarantine hotel in east China rose to 26 on Wednesday, with three more people feared still trapped in the rubble, according to state media.

Dozens of people were pulled alive from the wreckage of the six-storey Xinjian hotel in the coastal city of Quanzhou but 26 others were either found dead in the ruins or have since died of their injuries, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Six of the deaths were reported on Wednesday.

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.

The hotel was "illegally constructed and had repeatedly violated the regulations", the Ministry of Emergency Management said Tuesday.

The building had been repurposed to house people who had recently been in regions hard hit by COVID-19, according to local newspaper Quanzhou Evening News.

All of the people quarantined in the hotel had tested negative for the virus, Quanzhou Evening News reported. — AFP

Japan to oblige companies to set CO2 reduction targets

World

Teenage pregnancy on the rise in Thailand amid increasing cases of sexual assault

World

Thailand bans imports of plastic waste from January 1

World

Malaysian teenage boys more vulnerable to social media risks than girls, study shows

World

This industry is defying China’s retail slump, thanks to young people’s ‘emotional’ spending

World

New tourism trends seen in Thailand

More on this story

World

In tense talks, EU warns Erdogan to respect migrants deal

Stern-faced EU leaders warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe's borders, after the Turkish leader came to Brussels to demand more support.

World

‘A Day Without Us’: Mexican women stage protest by absence

Women mostly stayed off Mexico City's streets Monday as part of a protest against the country's soaring rate of gender violence. The "Day Without Us" strike was staged to highlight the more than 1,000 women and children murdered in Mexico last year.

World

Italy limits travel and bans public gatherings across whole country

Italy's prime minister told people to "stay at home" as the government limited travel and banned public gatherings across the whole country to combat the threat posed by the new coronavirus.

World

Threat of coronavirus pandemic now 'very real': WHO

The World Health Organisation warned Monday there was now a "very real" threat that the new coronavirus outbreak will become a pandemic, but stressed the virus could still be controlled.

World

Fire will not destroy Venezuelan electoral system: official

Venezuela's electoral system was damaged but not destroyed after a fire broke out in a warehouse used to store voting equipment, the National Electoral Council said on Sunday.

World

Biden and Sanders win key endorsements as next voting round nears

Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders secured crucial endorsements Sunday from prominent black supporters just days ahead of the first round of voting to pit them in a head-to-head contest.

World

US, Brazil sign agreement enabling military sales

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday visited the US Southern Command, where he signed a defense agreement with the United States enabling joint development of military capabilities, officials said.

World