At least four people are dead and 29 missing after a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed on Saturday.

Rescue workers are still searching the rubble of the five-storey Xinjia Hotel in the southern province of Fujian.

Of 71 initially trapped, 38 were rescued, said the Ministry of Emergency Management.

It is not clear what caused the collapse.

The hotel collapsed at about 19:30 local time (11:30 GMT) on Saturday.

Chinese state media say it was being used as a quarantine facility monitoring people who had had close contact with coronavirus patients.

The city Quanzhou has recorded 47 cases of the virus.

The building's first floor had been undergoing renovation since before the Lunar New Year, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The hotel reportedly opened in 2018 and had 80 guest rooms.

Police have summoned the building's owner, state media report.

One woman told the Beijing News website that relatives including her sister had been under quarantine there.

"I can't contact them, they're not answering their phones," she said.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1151 HRS, MAR 08, 2020
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