Medical teams dispatched to aid injured after quarantine hotel collapses

The National Health Commission has dispatched two medical teams, 18-strong in total, to aid rescue efforts following the Saturday evening collapse of a hotel for novel coronavirus quarantine in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province.

The first team consisted of 14 doctors from the nearby cities, including Fuzhou and Xiamen. The second team came from Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province. The doctors included those specializing in orthopedics, neurosurgery and infectious diseases, among others.

The incident occurred at about 7:30 pm on Saturday when the Xinjia Hotel in the city's Licheng district suddenly collapsed within a few seconds, trapping about 70 people. As of Sunday morning, 49 people have been rescued.

Two deaths have been reported as of Sunday morning and the cause of the incident is being investigated. The hotel began operation in 2018, and has 80 guest rooms, according to hotel booking services.