Hotel Used for Quarantine Collapses in China
The Xinjia Hotel, a coronavirus quarantine facility in the city of Quanzhou, collapsed Saturday.
Search and rescue efforts were well-underway on Sunday after the hotel collapsed, trapping more than 70 people under the rubble.
848 firefighters, 169 fire engines, and seven search dogs were tasked in rescuing the people trapped by the hotel's debris.
The government also sent 18 medical experts to Quanzhou to provide medical support to the survivors.
China's National Health Commission dispatched two batches of 18 medical experts to Quanzhou, E.China's Fujian Province, where a hotel building collapsed on Saturday. https://t.co/DBqSQWE2CG — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 8, 2020
According to the Weibo account of the national fire department, the rescue team pulled out the 48th survivor on Sunday morning.
A young boy and his parents were reportedly among the victims that were successfully taken out of the rubble. The family is now recovering in a hospital.
A 2-year-old child was also rescued from the hotel early Sunday morning, local time.
A 2-year-old child was rescued from a hotel in Quanzhou, E.China's Fujian Province. The hotel building collapsed on Saturday resulting in 2 deaths. pic.twitter.com/TMhJCODjj7 — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 8, 2020
The Licheng district government addressed the incident, saying the hotel was housing people who were under observation after potential exposure to coronavirus.
Witnesses said they heard a noise that resembled an explosion just before the hotel building collapsed.
The Ministry of Emergency Management said they are focused on preventing a second accident.
The XinJia Hotel opened in 2018 with an 80-room capacity.
The building's collapse resulted in 2 deaths. Various agencies are also investigating the cause of the crash.
More Cases
Chinese health officials reported 44 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday. The new confirmed cases bring China's total number to 80,695.
Health authorities also reported 27 deaths on Saturday, one less than the recorded number of deaths on Friday, March 6.
All new COVID-19 deaths occurred in the Hubei province.
Also read: Iranians Lick Holy Shrines to Defy Coronavirus
According to the local government, a quarter of the country's new cases of COVID-19 came from outside the country.
Official data showed Chinese nationals who entered the capital of Lanzhou on commercial flights from Iran were found to be positive with coronavirus.
China's National Health Commission reported 99 new cases in Mainland China on Friday--- 44 fewer cases from the 143 reported on Thursday. The new report marks the lowest number of confirmed cases since January 20.
Health officials also confirmed 25 new cases on March 6, most of which were said to have come from outside the country.
The Beijing capital also reported four new coronavirus cases on its official Weibo account on Saturday. Three of the four cases reportedly came from Italy.
China's National Health Commission reported three new cases in Shanghai and one in Guangdong province, all of which came from other countries.
According to the NHC's report, 60 coronavirus cases originated outside of the country as of Friday.
The Communist Party said special institutions such as prisons and nursing homes found in Wuhan have reported more than 1,800 cases as of Thursday, March 5.
China's coronavirus death toll rose to 3,070 on Friday.
Hubei and Wuhan also reported 28 and 21 deaths respectively.
Economical Crisis
As the coronavirus cases reach 100,000 across the world, more people voice their concerns on its effect on the financial market.
The World Health Organization is rallying more people in the business world to cooperate and show support and solidarity to the poor countries affected by the virus.
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