6 detained over ice rink roof collapse in northeast China
Initial investigation blames failure on poor construction of the building, which has been in use since late 2019
Six people have been detained over the collapse of a roof on an ice rink building in northeastern China last month, with investigators blaming the failure on poor engineering.
Jilin provincial authorities said on Friday that the preliminary investigation indicated the collapse in the city of Baicheng was “a production safety accident caused by substandard quality in construction engineering”.
Police were continuing to investigate the incident, which resulted in no casualties, the authorities said, without saying who was in custody.
The roof collapsed on the five-year-old building in the morning before the rink was due to open on November 18.
Eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage indicated that the roof collapsed suddenly, sending up clouds of dust and debris.
A staff member from the Baicheng Sports Team told various media outlets that the collapse occurred between 7.30am and 7.40am.
Employees at the rink generally started work at 8.30am so none were in the building at the time. But two cleaners outside were pushed back by the force of the collapse and suffered minor injuries.
