One of the tallest skyscrapers in China began to swing on Tuesday – and panicked numerous people in the southern metropolis of Shenzhen. The nearly 300-meter-high SEG Plaza building began to move back and forth around 1 p.m. local time for an unknown reason. According to local media, the skyscraper was cleared, and people in the street were staring at the spectacle with open mouths.
Eyewitness videos published in the Weibo short message service showed how the skyscraper wobbled and hundreds of frightened people ran onto the street. The skyscraper in the center of the city of Shenzhen with a population of twelve million near Hong Kong was completed in 2000 and, in addition to numerous offices, houses a huge electronics store.
As reported by Weibo, civil protection officials have been tasked with finding the cause of the skyscraper swaying in the Futian borough. A comparison with the earthquake measuring stations in Shenzhen showed that no earthquake occurred on Tuesday.
Buildings keep collapsing in China
Last year, the Chinese authorities banned the construction of buildings more than 500 meters high. Previously, height restrictions were in place in cities like Beijing.
Five of the tallest skyscrapers in the world are in China, including the Shanghai Tower, which, at 632 meters, ranks second in the world. Only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is higher at 828 meters. In Shenzhen, the Ping An Finance Center, which is 599 meters high, is the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world.
In China, buildings collapse again and again as a result of hastily completed buildings and disregard of safety regulations. In May last year, 29 people died in the collapse of a five-story quarantine hotel in Quanzhou, southeast China. In 2008, the Sichuan earthquake, killing more than 69,000 people, sparked a debate about poorly built school buildings. (AFP)