The concrete roof of a school gymnasium collapsed in China's Qiqihar city on Sunday killing 11 people, many young girls playing netball, with authorities saying the illegal stacking of materials on the roof may have caused the cave in.
Report informs via Reuters that initially 15 people were trapped underneath the rubble and state media learned at 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) that authorities had pulled out the last remaining person, a student, who had no vital signs.
The collapse at the No. 34 Middle School in Longsha District in Qiqihar, located in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, was reported at 2:56 p.m. (0656 GMT) on Sunday, according to the provincial fire and rescue department, Xinhua said.
A female volleyball team was training in the gymnasium when the incident happened, a father told China Youth Daily as he waited anxiously at the local hospital for news of his 16-year old daughter.
"The team consisted of students selected from different grades. They had just returned to the school a few days ago after a competition out-of-town," an eye-witness told state radio.
It was not immediately clear if any victims included adults.
There were 19 people at the gymnasium when the accident occurred, with four managing to escape, said authorities.