Tiles Fall Off the Roof of 600-Year-Old Tower, Sending Tourists Scrambling

Tourists were sent running from a popular tourist site in China after tiles on a historic building’s roof unexpectedly fell roughly two stories to the ground.

The roof of the Fengyang Drum Tower, built during the Ming Dynasty in 1375, collapsed as hundreds of its tiles slid down, followed by a large plume of debris dust, according to video footage. Falling debris nearly hit some visitors, eyewitnesses told BBC, though a Fengyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau statement confirmed there were no injuries as a result.

“The tile falling lasted for a minute or two,” a witness told Yangcheng Evening News, a state-sanctioned newspaper.

Authorities directed tourists and bystanders away from the area as they secured the scene. Fengyang county officials said an investigation is in progress, per BBC.

Fengyang Drum Tower is closed for the time being as repairs begin, the outlet reported.

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The tower most recently underwent repairs to address minor damage to the roof, per CNN. The tower itself is not from the Ming Dynasty, only the base; the tower sustained the bulk of damages through the years, and was largely rebuilt in 1995.