Beijing:
A hotel used for medical observation of people who had contact with coronavirus patients collapsed in southeastern China on Saturday, trapping some 70 people, state media reported. There were no immediate reports of deaths.
At least 33 people were rescued from the wreckage of the Xinjia Express Hotel in Quanzhou, a city in Fujian province, the Xinhua News Agency, the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily and other outlets reported.
The 80-room hotel had been converted by the city government for observation of people who had contact with virus patients, according to People's Daily.
The hotel collapsed at about 7.30pm, news reports said, citing the city government.
Photos on news websites showed rescue workers with flashlights climbing over the debris. Rubble was piled on cars in front of the building.
The hotel opened in June 2018, with rooms on the fourth to seventh floors of the building, the newspaper Beijing Youth Daily said.
An unidentified hotel employee cited by the Beijing Youth Daily said the owner carried out ''foundation-related construction" before the disaster. It gave no details.
Around 70 people were trapped after a hotel collapsed in China's eastern Fujian province on Saturday evening, officials said. The hotel was used for coronavirus quarantines.
Xinjia Hotel in Quanzhou city collapsed around 7.30 pm (1130 GMT) and around 23 people had been rescued by 9pm, according to a local government statement.
The 80-room hotel was recently converted to a quarantine facility for people who had recent contact with coronavirus patients, the People's Daily state newspaper reported.
State news agency Xinhua said rescue efforts were ongoing.
