THREE people are confirmed dead and one is slightly injured after a gymnasium collapsed Monday evening in Huanan County of Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, local government said yesterday.

Around 7:40 p.m. Monday, a partial collapse occurred in the basketball area on the second floor in the Yuecheng Gymnasium in Huanan, China Central Television reported Monday.

The building, a two-story frame structure, has a construction area of approximately 2,000 square meters. The collapse area is around 500 square meters, according to CCTV.

There were seven people at the scene when the collapse occurred, of which three escaped by themselves, local government said.

The person in charge of a health club that owns the gymnasium has been taken into police custody.

The cause of the accident is under further investigation.

(China Daily)