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February 15, 2014

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10 killed, 90 injured as village hall roof caves in

TEN people were killed and 90 injured in east China’s Zhejiang Province when the roof of a village hall fell in on a party of wedding guests, local authorities said yesterday.

The accident happened at 5:20pm on Thursday as more than 200 people sat down to dine at the event in the village of Yazhuang, the Pan’an County government, which administers Yazhuang, told a press conference.

But as the celebrations got under way, the hall roof collapsed, showering tiles on to the guests below, it said.

“Just minutes after I sat down I heard the sound of cracking wood. When I looked up the roof just caved in,” said Chen Dianzhong, who is being treated in hospital for injuries to his legs and pelvis.

“The next thing I knew I was trapped under something heavy. Then I heard people trying to rescue me,” he said.

Of the 90 people injured, 88 remain in hospital, with 11 of them in serious condition, said Yu Manxing, a spokesman for Pan’an County government. Two people had earlier been discharged, he said.

A preliminary investigation found the roof collapsed under the weight of the snow that had fallen on it.

Local official Chen Xiaofeng said the hall was in a poor state of repair and had not been refurbished for 40 years.

Bride Hu Yuexing escaped unhurt but her groom Chen Hangjin suffered injuries to his legs and neck.

Chen’s father Chen Youcheng also evaded injury as he was outside at the time of the tragedy, China News Service reported.

“When I returned I was totally stunned,” Chen Youcheng said. “I was heartbroken to see so many people had been hurt.”

Six of his relatives were killed in the collapse.


 

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