On the evening of September 8th, several netizens on social media platforms reported that after two loud noises were heard in a residential building in the Hongshan District of Wuhan, multiple cracks appeared in different areas. Some residents speculated that the cracks in the building may have been caused by sewage construction works next to the residential area.
Residents of Building 11 in Block C of the Hongqixinju community in Hongshan District told the Xinjing News program “Emergency Call” that “this door can no longer be closed” and “this gap has widened.”
Another female resident said, “I was lying in bed getting ready to sleep that day when I heard a loud noise, which was really frightening.” “At 8 o’clock in the evening, there was another occurrence, like an explosion, the whole building shook for a moment, scaring everyone so much that they didn’t dare to stay at home.”
Videos online showed multiple cracks inside the residents’ houses, with residents commenting, “The house is getting more and more cracked.”
Another video displayed long cracks on the walls of the underground garage in the community, with surface wall coverings peeling off. Additionally, multiple cracks were also visible on the exterior walls of the residential building.
On September 9th, residents of the community told Daxin News that the cracks in the building were caused by sewage construction works next to the residential area.
In response, a staff member from the Red Flag Community in the jurisdiction of the community said on the morning of September 9th, “At the moment, it seems that the building should not have any major problems, and the residents have all returned home.”
Regarding the residents’ concerns about cracks in load-bearing walls, the staff member denied, stating, “The bursting of load-bearing walls is not true, and such a situation does not exist.”
However, a resident who posted a video commented in the discussion section, “Basically, all the residents have evacuated, asking them (community authorities) if they can stay, they neither confirm nor deny, saying to wait for further notice, but while they wait for this notice, where do we stay? We have nowhere to eat, nowhere to live.”
The resident further expressed, “I am really scared, now it’s not just about whether there are cracks or not, but from the first floor to the 14th floor, there are obvious cracks everywhere.”
Following online attention to the incident, officials from the community where the incident occurred, when questioned by Xinjing News, mentioned that one residential building and a kindergarten in the community were affected, attributing the cause to the digging of sewage treatment cesspits, which were dug to a depth of about ten to twenty meters.
Personnel from the Hongshan District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau’s Safety Supervision Station stated that there is definitely no risk of overall collapse, and residents can safely stay. They have already taken action, and after testing, the building structure was found to be stable. Relevant departments have initiated measures such as backfilling and grouting.
Official responses were met with criticism by netizens, with some remarks like “Let them come and live there,” and speculating on possible causes like “The foundation might have sunk.” “There are cracks on the outside too, so there might be a settlement problem.” “This house is uninhabitable; with so many cracks, it’s like a complete breakdown, continued cracking could lead to a direct collapse, very dangerous.”
A netizen named “nksmkhggfdfhbvccv” also commented, “The main structures in the South are generally substandard.”
In the comments section on the 10th, a resident named “Enterprise ‘Tax’ Stability” stated, “The cracking is continuing today, and it made the tiles on the walls fall off directly.”