Ten people have died and 23 remain trapped after the collapse of a hotel that was being used to quarantine people with COVID-19 under observation in the Chinese city of Quanzhou, authorities said on Sunday.

More than 70 people were believed to have been initially trapped in the seven storey building, which collapsed on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, authorities retrieved 48 individuals from the site of the collapse, with 38 of them sent to hospitals, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.

Of the 71 people inside the hotel at the time of the collapse, 58 had been under quarantine, they added.

News of the collapse comes as the spread of COVID-19 continues to slow in China.

According to data from the National Health Commission, cases fell by roughly one half on Saturday from the day prior. The agency confirmed 44 new cases of COVID-19 at the end of March 7, a decline from 99 the previous day.