600 -year -old Chinese tower collapsed: tourists in panic

600 -year -old Chinese tower collapsed: tourists in panic

Visitors to a centuries -old tourist location in the east of China panic when hundreds of roof tiles loosened and more than two floors plunged into the depths.

the Fengyang drum tower

The Fengyang Trommelturm, which was built in 1375 and served to announce the start of ceremonies and the time, is one of the greatest towers of its kind in China, according to the state media. The tower is an important tourist attraction in the province of Anhui, which is 267 kilometers from Beijing, the capital of China.

a dangerous event

On Monday, the silence at the location was suddenly interrupted by the sound of falling roof tiles, which plunged into the ground and whirled up a large cloud of gray -brown dust. "The trap lasted for one or two minutes", reported an eyewitness to the Yang Evening News Newspaper.

a narrow escape from the danger zone

Another witness described how he heard the clear sound of a brick that after the other fell from one business at the entrance of the drum tower. "There were no people on the pitch and nobody was injured," he told the state medium The Beijing News . "If it had happened a little later, many children would have played near the tower after dinner."

examination and security measures

The local office for culture and tourism shared with and the "situation is currently being examined". The incident occurred only one year after the tower had been renovated due to minor damage to the roof.

The story of the Fengyang drum tower

The building consists of two parts: the original foundation from the Ming dynasty and the tower built over it. The damage occurred mainly on the latter, which was rebuilt in 1995, according to the local authorities . The district of Fengyang is known for its rich history and culture and was the home of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu emperor and founder of the Ming dynasty.