49 rescued after hotel collapse in east China

Rescuers work at the accident site of a hotel in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Forty-nine people have been rescued as of 8:20 a.m. Sunday after a hotel building collapsed in east China's Fujian Province Saturday evening, local authorities said.

The Xinjia Hotel collapsed around 7:15 p.m. in Licheng District of the city of Quanzhou. The hotel opened in 2018 and had 80 rooms.

According to a preliminary report, about 70 people were trapped. 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.

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.