Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire/ Fujian fire service

This is the moment a fire captain breaks down in tears moments after reportedly pulling the bodies of two young children from the rubble of a collapsed coronavirus quarantine facility in China.

As of 12pm local time today (10th March), 20 people had been confirmed dead and 10 victims were still unaccounted for following the collapse of Xinjia Hotel in the coastal city of Quanzhou in East China’s Fujian Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management reported.

At 4:40pm, live streams on Chinese social media showed loud cheers and applause as a male survivor was carried out of the rubble alive some 30 minutes after his vital signs were detected by rescue equipment.

Video Credit: AsiaWire/ Fujian fire service

Earlier, footage taken at the site of the collapse captured fire captain Zhou Jianming, whose unit is assisting from the nearby city of Xiamen, breaking down in tears.

According to the Fujian fire service, it came after his team pulled the body of a young boy from the rubble at 8:27am local time this morning, before finding a young girl just 11 minutes later.

The two children were taken to a local hospital, but rescuers have yet to release details about their precise condition.

It is unclear whether they were among the 20 reported deaths.

Xinjia Hotel, one of two similar establishments repurposed to house confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases in the area, came down at roughly 7:30pm Beijing time on 7th March with 58 guests and 22 staff inside.

Nine people managed to escape on their own, but 71 victims – 51 male and 20 female – remained trapped in the rubble as search and rescue began.

Crucial rescue work is still ongoing within what has been described as a 72-hour ‘golden window’ to find more survivors.

Local officials say Xinjia Hotel, which opened in June 2018, had been undergoing ground-floor renovations at the time of the collapse.

The owner, a 65-year-old male surnamed Yang, is being questioned by police.

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