Roof of Reconstructed Ming Dynasty Tower Collapses

One of the largest historic towers in China, a Ming Dynasty building reconstructed in 1995, is going to need more reconstruction. The roof of the Fengyang Drum Tower in Anhui province partially collapsed on Monday, with hundreds of falling tiles narrowly missing people in the square below, the BBC reports. The tower, originally constructed in 1375, was destroyed during the Qing Dynasty in 1853. Local authorities said the reconstructed building recently underwent maintenance for "worsening damage and safety hazards," reports USA Today.

Video of the collapse shows visitors at the tourist site, located around 600 miles south of Beijing, scrambling to get to safety as debris rains down. Witnesses said tiles were falling for around a minute, CNN reports. No one was injured, but residents said the square would have been packed with children at a different time of day. On the Weibo social network, users expressed shock, the Straits Times reports. "That's so scary. These tiles are like tofu," one user said. "If this were to happen during the ancient times, heads would roll," another user wrote. Others called for solidarity. "It's time to show the true Fengyang spirit! We fall but rise stronger. Let's support each other through this challenge," a user wrote, per the Straits Times. (More China stories.)