[Explanation] At 13:40 on March 8, a press conference was held in Quanzhou, Fujian to report the collapse of the Xinjia Hotel in Licheng District. After preliminary planning, 71 people were trapped in the building at the time of the incident. According to the official Weibo news from the Emergency Management Department, as of 18:00 on March 8, 48 people have been rescued (10 of them died and 38 were sent to hospital for treatment), and 23 people are still being searched and rescued.

[Explanation] According to preliminary understanding, the collapsed building was constructed in 2013, covering an area of ​​about 5 acres, with 7 main floors, 1,000 square meters per floor, and a height of 22 meters. It is a steel structure building. It was transformed into Xinjia Hotel in 2018 and opened in June of that year. The hotel has 66 rooms of various types. After the new crown pneumonia epidemic occurred, Xinjia Hotel was used as a centralized medical observation point for centralized medical observation of personnel from key epidemic areas or with related travel history.

[Contemporary] Su Yanhui, Deputy Chief of the Relief Team, Licheng District Government, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province

When the Xinjia Hotel collapsed, there were 58 medical observers from the key epidemic areas or related residence history in the building. Among them are 12 accompanying children, 7 returning home, 37 migrant workers, and 2 visiting relatives. After entering the designated observation point, all personnel have performed nucleic acid tests, and the test results are all negative.

[Explanation] On the night of the incident, more than 1,000 rescue forces such as firefighting, armed police, medical treatment, emergency management, public security, and housing construction were mobilized at the provincial, municipal, and district levels to conduct comprehensive search and rescue. At the same time, the Fujian Provincial Health and Health Commission sent 38 medical experts from Xiamen and the National Health and Health Commission sent 4 national experts. Quanzhou hospitals opened up green channels for the treatment of the wounded, and made every effort to treat and recover the injured.

[Contemporary] Hong Ziqiang, Executive Deputy Mayor of Quanzhou Municipal Government

At present, more than 750 medical rescue teams have been dispatched and 20 120 ambulances have been dispatched to carry out the rescue. In the process of treatment, the injured people who have been under centralized medical observation will be treated according to the epidemic prevention and control standards and continue to watch, and the medical staff will protect themselves.

[Explanation] As of press time, on-site search and rescue, wounded treatment, and family reassurance are still being promoted. At the same time, an accident investigation team has been set up to seek truth from facts and find out the reasons, and to hold the people responsible seriously in accordance with the law and regulations. At present, the building owner has been controlled by the public security department.

Reporter Koning Sun Hong Fujian Quanzhou reports

Editor-in-chief: [Zhou Zhaojun]