Warehouse Collapse in Harbin Leaves 9 Dead

The former tenant told domestic media that he had moved out a month earlier for fear that the building would collapse

Nine people who were trapped when a warehouse collapsed in the northeastern city of Harbin have been found dead, local media reported Wednesday.

According to the report, part of a warehouse belonging to a company called Yushou Foods collapsed Tuesday morning. One person was rescued while another nine remained trapped in the rubble. Early Wednesday morning, rescue workers recovered the bodies of the nine.

On Tuesday, the former tenant of the building, surnamed Li, told Sixth Tone’s sister publication The Paper that he had moved out over a month ago. “I knew it was going to collapse. I was so scared that I moved,” he said.

Li added that the warehouse had originally been a single-story residence, though several floors were later added. He believes illegal construction may have played a role in the incident.

An eyewitness told The Paper that before the collapse, the building was being renovated, and a wall had just been knocked down.

Search and rescue efforts have concluded, and the specific cause of the collapse is being investigated.

Editor: David Paulk.

(Header image: The scene of the collapsed warehouse in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Aug. 4, 2020. People Visual)