PUBLISHED ONMay 23, 2025 4:35 AMByHoon Jeng JeeHundreds of roof tiles came crashing down from a historic drum tower in China's Anhui province on Monday (May 19), a year after extensive repairs.
In videos circulating online, hundreds of roof tiles were seen coming loose and cascading more than two stories within seconds.
Many visitors were seen fleeing as the falling tiles raised a huge cloud of dust.
County officials confirmed that the roof tiles from one side of the Fengyang Drum Tower had collapsed and added that no one was injured. Investigations are ongoing.
An eyewitness told Yangcheng Evening News that the incident lasted for one to two minutes.
Residents told China Newsweek that the area in front of the tower is often crowded, as people come to sing and dance in the evenings.
Fortunately there weren't many people around when the incident occurred, the residents said.
As at Thursday (May 22), tiles and broken rafters were still dangling from the roof and a crane was seen transporting bricks onto the top of the tower, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
Scaffolding was also erected around the drum tower, while its entrance was blocked by a barricade, the newspaper said.
It added that staff on the ground could not confirm when repairs would be completed.
Fengyang Drum Tower was built in 1375, but much of it was destroyed during the Qing dynasty in 1853.
Only its platform base remained, which was classified as a protected cultural unit for Anhui province in 1989.
Restoration of the entire drum tower began in 1995, and was completed in 1998.
Since 2017, a few roof tiles fell after they became loose.
Due to further degradation and safety hazards, the tiles were replaced between September 2023 and March 2024.
Lu Deyong, chief of Fengyang's culture and tourism bureau, confirmed that over 341,000 yuan (S$61,063) was allocated for the repairs, Sina News reported.
Lu added that the repairs passed immediate safety checks after its completion.
On May 21, CCTV reported that part of the drum tower was illegally rebuilt with a reinforced concrete structure in 1995 without approval.
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