Rescue personnel: Parcels of perlite found on site, collapse accident in Qiqihar, search and rescue completed on roof | News | Accident
On the afternoon of July 23rd, a roof collapse accident occurred in the gymnasium of the 34th Middle School in Qiqihar City. At the time of the accident, there were a total of 19 people inside the gymnasium, of which 4 escaped on their own and 15 were trapped. According to CCTV News on the morning of July 24th, all 15 trapped individuals have been found, and on-site search and rescue work has ended. At 10:00 am on July 24th, the last trapped student was rescued and showed no signs of life. This accident resulted in a total of 11 deaths.
Li Chen, a citizen of Qiqihar, is the head of a local engineering company. On July 24th, Li Chen told Pengpai News that around 16:00 on the 23rd, he received a notice and went to Qiqihar No. 34 Middle School with more than 30 workers to participate in rescue work.
Li Chen recalled that there were hundreds of rescue personnel on site.
"My workers and I have been working from yesterday afternoon until 7am this morning," Li Chen explained. Due to the collapse, there was a large amount of construction waste on site, and their main task was to clean and transport these construction waste, such as concrete blocks and benzene boards. Li Chen organized workers to form an assembly line, and the method of pouring people down is relatively fast. I am responsible for directing the workers on site.
According to previous reports from the search and rescue command center in Qiqihar City, after preliminary investigation on site, it was found that during the construction process of the teaching complex building adjacent to the gymnasium, the construction unit illegally stacked perlite on the roof of the gymnasium. Affected by rainfall, the weight of perlite soaked in water increases, leading to an increase in roof load and causing collapse.
Li Chen said that during the transportation of construction waste, he did indeed find packages of perlite on site, "but I don't know how much it is. I am eager to save people, and without checking the number, I just want to save them as quickly as possible.".
[Related connections]
11 people died in the collapse of Qiqihar Sports Center: it has been built for 26 years and the roof is piled with building materials
According to media reports, there were 19 people in the museum at the time of the accident, 4 of whom escaped by themselves. According to local residents, it has been cloudy and rainy in the past two days. "I heard that it is the children of the school volleyball team who are training in it". According to the school's official WeChat account, the school's women's volleyball team represented Qiqihar City in the 18th Student Games Middle School Volleyball Competition on July 16 and won the runner-up.
The on-site video footage shows that the roof of a white building with the words "gymnasium" on its exterior wall has collapsed, and the site is filled with ruins. Next to the incident site is a building under construction. After the incident, the police and fire rescue personnel rushed to the scene for rescue, and several fire trucks, hooks, and forklifts were on standby at the scene.
Overnight search and rescue
After the accident, firefighting and rescue personnel immediately launched rescue operations, using demolition tools to cut and clean collapsed building components in three directions: east, south, and north of the gymnasium; Using search and rescue dogs in conjunction with life detectors to search for buried personnel; Mobilize 3 hook machines and 2 forklifts to stand by the site.
On July 23rd, the gymnasium of No. 34 Middle School in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province collapsed, and firefighters searched and rescued the trapped individuals on site@ Xinhua News Agency image
On July 23rd, the gymnasium of No. 34 Middle School in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province collapsed, and firefighters were searching and rescuing trapped individuals on site@ Xinhua News Agency image
On July 23, 2023, the roof of the 34th Middle School Gymnasium in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province collapsed, and rescue work at the scene of the accident is currently underway. Xinhua visual image
On July 23rd, the gymnasium of No. 34 Middle School in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province collapsed, and 120 people were on standby at the scene@ Xinhua News Agency image
On July 23rd, the gymnasium of No. 34 Middle School in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province collapsed, and firefighters were searching and rescuing at the scene@ Xinhua News Agency image
The sports hall where the incident occurred
It is understood that the collapsed gymnasium has been built for 26 years, with a building area of approximately 1200 square meters. The walls are of a grid structure, and the ceiling is made of concrete slabs. It is reported that there used to be an open space next to the sports hall, where the school planted sunflowers and corn. At the end of last year, construction of the school's affiliated comprehensive building began on this vacant land.
After preliminary on-site investigation, it was found that during the construction process of the teaching complex building adjacent to the gymnasium, the construction unit illegally stacked the building material perlite on the roof of the gymnasium. Affected by rainfall, the weight of perlite after being submerged in water tripled, leading to an increase in roof load and causing collapse. An in-depth investigation is still ongoing.
At present, the person in charge of the construction unit of the teaching comprehensive building has been controlled by the public security organs.
On July 23rd, firefighting and rescue personnel searched for trapped people on site, and the roof of the gymnasium collapsed completely@ Xinhua News Agency image
