A billion-yuan stadium in Inner Mongolia has collapsed, the latest in a string of 'tofu' projects on the mainland sparking concerns about building safety.
The steel structure of the 30,000-seat main stadium for the International Naadam Festival in Ordos collapsed six months after it was used for the first time.
A mainland journalist taking pictures of the collapsed stadium yesterday from a distant highway was taken away by police. The site has been sealed off for about three weeks since the collapse.
Confirming the structure's collapse, Ordos propaganda chief Su Jianrong said the site had been sealed for further investigation. 'I have no more to tell you except to confirm the collapse of the Naadam Festival's main stadium about 20 days ago. I do not have information as to the cause of the incident,' Su said.
According to Beijing-based news portal Zijing.org, the stadium cost about one billion yuan (HK$1.18 billion) to build. Construction of the stadium began in December 2009.
More than 30,000 tonnes of steel were used for the stadium, about two-thirds of the amount used to build Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' for the 2008 Olympic Games.