Survivor of school gym roof collapse posts heartbreaking photo

A student who survived a deadly roof collapse at a school in northeast China posted a photo of some of her volleyball team members, many of whom died in the collapse, drawing an outpouring of condolences and support online.

The roof of the gym at No. 34 Middle School in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, caved in on Sunday, killing 10 female students, all of whom were members of the volleyball team, and one coach.

"All of my best friends are gone," the student wrote on her post on Douyin, Chinese version of TikTok. The photo was a group picture of team players on a train.

The student was also a member of the volleyball team, responsible for making the first pass when her team had the ball. Her username is "好好练一传," meaning "practicing the first pass harder."

"You are family to me. Don't forget me," she wrote in the post.

Netizens offered warm blessings and condolences to the girl, with many saying they burst into tears after seeing the lively faces of the young girls. The post had attracted more than 183,000 comments and nearly 1 million likes as of Tuesday morning.

The hashtag #AllOfMyBestFriendsAreGone is among the top trending topics on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

The volleyball team had just won second place at the 18th Students' Sports Game of Heilongjiang Province, representing Qiqihar City.

Hui Ruoqi, the ex-China women's volleyball team captain, also reached out a helping hand to the survivor, offering to train her if she decides to return to the court.

An initial investigation revealed that a construction company working on an adjacent building had illegally placed a pile of perlite on the roof of the gym, creating an excessive load. The heavy rainfall exacerbated the situation, leading to the collapse of the structure.

The authorities have taken the company's management and supervisors responsible for overlooking safety regulations into custody.