'Geological Disaster': Experts As Thousands Evacuated In China After Cracks Appear Near High-Rises

Over 3000 people have been rescued from high-rise apartments in the Chinese town of Tianjin after cracks appeared on roads and in nearby streets.

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Thousands of people were evacuated from several high-rise buildings in China’s Tianjin days after land collapses created large cracks on nearby streets, according to state media and the local government, reported Reuters. Large openings appeared on roads near a residential complex in Tianjin's Jinnan district. According to Global Times, geological experts said they were likely caused by underground cavities below a depth of 1,300 m (4,270 feet). 

The land subsidence forced the authorities to rescue as many as 3,899 residents from at least three 25-storey high-rise buildings till June 3, state-backed Global Times quoted the district government as saying. 

As per Reuters, following preliminary information from geological experts and several government departments, the Tianjin government called the incident a "sudden geological disaster". The experts surveyed, mapped and monitored the site. 

"The situation is very rare," according to an expert questioned about the incident at the Tianjin government municipal headquarters, as quoted by Reuters. It added that the Tianjin government said that drilling of geothermal wells resulting in soil loss and land subsidence in the area cannot be ruled out. 

Reuters stated that Experts said the high-rise buildings facing the street were affected to varying degrees. In images, roads could be seen buckled and warped in photos on social media, while others showed a section of wall tile from a building collapsed on the floor. 

Notably, the incident adds to rising concerns for building safety in China, where the government has enforced stricter rules and policies and handed out hefty punishments for lack of management of properties. 

Reuters reported that the Chinese government recently held several high-level meetings on geological and hidden disaster preparation. 

Meanwhile, as per Global Times, the experts emphasised the need to strengthen monitoring of the ground and buildings to prevent secondary disasters and conduct further investigation.