Five-storey hotel collapses in Fujian, China

KUALA LUMPUR (March 7): A five-storey hotel has collapsed in Fujian, China this evening, say reports.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post using information from the official Fujian Daily, the Xinjia Hotel in Quanzhou came crumbling down at around 7pm local time.

A report by RT.com stated that 23 people have so far been rescued. 

Local media said up to 70 people were feared trapped when the building collapsed. 

According to a People’s Daily report, the hotel had been converted by the Licheng district authorities into a medical facility to house people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients.

Up to 700 rescue personnel/firefighters and dozens of emergency vehicles have been deployed to search for survivors.

The hotel opened for operations in June 2018.

#BREAKING: A hotel building collapsed in Quanzhou, SE China's Fujian at around 7 pm Saturday, trapping an unknown number of people under it. So far 16 people have been rescued. Rescue work remains underway. pic.twitter.com/rK7tEagQvV

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) March 7, 2020