A 600-year-old ancient tower in China partially collapsed with 'heartbreaking' footage prompting viewers to reflect how 'truly amazing' it was no one was reported injured.
On May 19 at around 6:30pm local time, the Fengyang Drum Tower - which has been stood as one of the largest towers in China since 1375 - sent tourists scattering when roof tiles began to come cascading down.
Located in Anhui province, around 200 miles from the capital of Beijing, footage of the incident shared to social media shows sections of the roof collapsing and narrowly missing onlookers.
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Thankfully, Fengyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau released a statement as cited by local media which said no one was injured.
The history of the Fengyang Drum Tower
The tower was built in 1375 in the eighth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, the report by the Fengyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau continues.
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The tower consists of two parts - a base and then the tower building on top.
The bureau notes the base 'was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Anhui Province in 1989'.
However, it notes the original tower building was actually 'destroyed in the third year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the current building was built in 1995'.
And it's not the first time some roof tiles have fallen from the building either.
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Since 2017, the bureau reports 'some' tiles having fallen off and 'eaves damaged' in Gulou buildings.
So much so, a building maintenance project was launched in February 2023 as a result of the 'worsening damage and safety hazards' and the tower shut in September for an upgrade, which reportedly took around five months.
Video footage of the recent partial roof collapse, alongside eyewitness reports have since been released online.
Video footage and eyewitness reports of the Fengyang Drum Tower's partial roof collapse
Videos taken around the time of the incident show the plumes of smoke and dust caused by roof tiles sliding off the tower.
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One person near the historic monument and tourist attraction at the time of the incident told state-controlled newspaper Yangcheng Evening News the tiles fell for around 'a minute or two'.
Another eyewitness confirmed to state media outlet The Beijing News 'no one was injured,' but reflected how 'if it happened a little later' there would've potentially been 'many children playing [near the tower] after dinner'.
As one YouTuber noted: "I'd say it was truly amazing that none of the crowd upon which the debris fell were injured."
"That tower is older the the USA. This is heartbreaking," a Reddit user added.
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An investigation is reportedly underway into what caused the roof to partially collapse.
Topics: China, World News, Social Media, Viral, History
Poppy Bilderbeck