News
3m-high wall collapses during funeral in China killing 6 people in attendance
It was raining at the time.
October 31, 2025, 02:58 AM
A funeral in Yunnan province in China ended up an even greater tragedy after a wall collapsed on six people, who were having dinner, killing them.
The wall that fell on Sep. 10 measured nearly 3m in height and was about 10m long, 163.com reported.
Relative's funeral
Those who perished were at Zhaoyang District Funeral Home to offer their condolences, according to China Press.
One of those who died was a 25-year-old university graduate, Lu Keyu.
She went alone to the funeral home in the afternoon and stayed till evening.
She was dining at the banquet in the courtyard belonging to a neighbouring family when the wall collapsed on her and five others who were also having their meal.
One of the victim's was Lu's aunt.
Three other villagers and another resident were reportedly among the dead.
Trauma
Chen Lihua, who is Lu's mother, was out of town when her daughter was killed.
163.com reported that she wanted the case to be exposed online and Chinese media broke the news on Oct. 28.
Chen said she had been unable to eat and sleep as a result of the incident.
Her daughter's body was apparently not cremated and had been lying at Zhaoyang District Funeral Home for 47 days.
Rain caused wall to fall?
On the day of the incident at around 5:15pm, the Zhaoyang District Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow warning signal for thunderstorms.
It predicted heavy rainfall over the next six hours.
Unstable wall structure
Lu's uncle, who was one of those dining at the table, managed to escape with minor injuries.
He said rainwater had accumulated in the tarpaulin tied overhead to the wall.
The weight of the precipitation that formed got heavier over time as the water was not drained out of the shelter.
This likely led to added stress on the already unstable wall, which eventually collapsed.
The wall was described as a straight wall without corners.
Investigation
Following the incident, the victims' families said they want to understand the real cause of the incident.
They said they hoped that the authorities will release detailed investigation results, get to the bottom of the matter, and hold those responsible accountable.
Top photos via 163.com
