10 dead in E China hotel collapse

Ten people were confirmed dead as of 4:00 pm Sunday after a hotel building collapsed in east China's Fujian province Saturday evening, local authorities said.

A total of 48 people had been rescued and 23 others remain trapped.

The Xinjia Hotel collapsed at around 7:15 pm in Licheng District of the city of Quanzhou, trapping 71 people.

Among the rescued, a boy aged around two years old was pulled from the rubble in the early hours of the morning. His parents were also rescued and sent to the hospital for treatment.

Local fire department of Quanzhou City has sent more than 200 fire fighters to the site, while Fujian Province dispatched 11 search and rescue teams with over 800 fire fighters and seven rescue dogs.

A witness surnamed Wu, who lives near the hotel, said he heard a loud bang while he was having supper and thought it was an explosion.

He ran to the balcony and saw the building collapse and some people were rescued from the rubble, according to mnw.cn.

Wu said the building was about five stories high.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a work team to Quanzhou to help with rescue and investigate the cause of accident. The ministry urged all-out efforts to rescue the victims and emphasized the prevention of secondary disasters, while ensuring the safety of rescue teams.

Further rescue is under way.

Quanzhou had a population of 8.7 million by the end of 2018, according to the city government's official website.