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Buddhist temple collapses near Sugar Land,Texas, no injuries reported
KHOU Staff, KHOU.com 6:35 p.m. CDT October 30, 2014
Pictures and video on website
http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/neighborhood/2014/10/30/firefighters-respond-to-building-collapse-at-buddhist-temple-in-sw-houston/18164593/
HOUSTON – A Buddhist temple came crumbling down without warning near Sugar Land overnight.
According to witnesses, it happened around 1:45 a.m. Thursday at the Vietnam Buddhist Center on Synott near Webb.
At that time, seven monks sleeping in the living quarters next door said they heard the alarm start going off. They went to check thinking it was burglars.
Instead they found their prayer hall collapsing to the ground.
"It looked like when you see an earthquake. Exactly like that," Chong Hue, a witness, said.
"We're very, very surprised and sad to see a portion of the temple collapsing," Quanz Cson, another witness, said.
The hall was empty at the time of the collapse. There is a monk who lives in a room attached to the collapsed building but he was out of town.
The cause of the collapse has not been released.
Investigators say it appears the roof caved in and then the walls came down.
KHOU Staff, KHOU.com 6:35 p.m. CDT October 30, 2014
Pictures and video on website
http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/neighborhood/2014/10/30/firefighters-respond-to-building-collapse-at-buddhist-temple-in-sw-houston/18164593/
HOUSTON – A Buddhist temple came crumbling down without warning near Sugar Land overnight.
According to witnesses, it happened around 1:45 a.m. Thursday at the Vietnam Buddhist Center on Synott near Webb.
At that time, seven monks sleeping in the living quarters next door said they heard the alarm start going off. They went to check thinking it was burglars.
Instead they found their prayer hall collapsing to the ground.
"It looked like when you see an earthquake. Exactly like that," Chong Hue, a witness, said.
"We're very, very surprised and sad to see a portion of the temple collapsing," Quanz Cson, another witness, said.
The hall was empty at the time of the collapse. There is a monk who lives in a room attached to the collapsed building but he was out of town.
The cause of the collapse has not been released.
Investigators say it appears the roof caved in and then the walls came down.