China was filled with anger on Monday after the roof of a middle school gym collapsed near the Siberian border. The collapse resulted in the death of at least 10 members of the school’s successful girl’s volleyball team who were practicing inside, as well as a coach.
School safety has always been a sensitive issue in China. The collapse of 7,000 classrooms during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which claimed the lives of up to 10,000 schoolchildren, sparked a nationwide outcry. The poor construction of schools, often referred to as “tofu” buildings, was widely blamed for the high number of child casualties.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, the collapse in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, occurred because construction materials from an adjacent complex were improperly stored on the gym’s roof, in violation of regulations.
When it rained on Sunday, the stored material, a coarse powder used for insulating plaster, absorbed a significant amount of water, causing the roof to collapse under the additional weight. Xinhua reported that the head of the construction contractor responsible for the adjacent teaching complex has been detained by the local police.
On Monday, people gathered at the school’s front gate to lay flowers and mourn.
The official explanation differs from the long-standing concern about the quality of school construction in China. Suspicions of faulty initial construction in Qiqihar were evident in social media posts on Monday. One internet user, claiming to be the aunt of one of the victims, demanded an investigation into the construction project.
Following the collapse of numerous schools during the Sichuan earthquake, which occurred just three months before the Beijing Olympics, the Ministry of Education implemented regulations in 2009 requiring safety checks by national and local governments.
Local media reported that the gym that collapsed on Sunday was built in 1997. The Qiqihar government had initiated an inspection program for schools four months ago, but it is unclear whether the collapsed middle school gym had been inspected prior to the incident.
Social media users also criticized the Qiqihar police for immediately gathering parents to prevent protests and for providing limited information about their daughters. This follows a pattern of the Chinese government suppressing information after disasters. In 2008, protests were initially allowed in Sichuan after the earthquake but were later suppressed.
Qiqihar, the last significant city in China before reaching Mohe City, the country’s northernmost town, experienced a construction boom in 2016 and 2017. The city constructed a high-speed rail station, modern apartment towers, and office buildings, which contrasted with its older, Russian-influenced architecture.
However, while developers were busy erecting new buildings, Qiqihar residents were moving away, undermining…
2023-07-24 05:24:54
Article from www.nytimes.com
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