On the afternoon of April 27th, news spread online about a residential building in Kang’an community, Daoli District, Harbin, where cracks appeared on the wall, penetrating the structure and continuously expanding. Footage from the scene showed significant cracks in the building, with one side of the structure leaning. Residents at the scene reported that the crack grew rapidly to a meter in width, accompanied by a noticeable smell of gas. The incident has garnered widespread attention, with some analysts likening the unstable building to a time bomb, putting residents in nearby buildings in a precarious situation.
A video circulating online showed that the residential building seemed to be “split in half,” with a crack running from top to bottom through the entire structure, and one side of the building displaying a clear tilt.
According to local media reports, residents on-site initially noticed a ten-centimeter gap, which quickly expanded to a meter in size.
Residents also mentioned a strong smell of gas lingering at the scene.
How could a building in a residential community suddenly develop such severe cracks?
On the morning of the 28th, the Daoli District government in Harbin issued a situation report confirming the tilting of a building within the Kang’an community area.
The report stated that building No. 10 in the Kang’an community, consisting of three independent structures, had one structure exhibiting a dangerous lean. It was noted that residents had been relocated from the tilting building in August 2022 and the structure currently remains vacant. Measures will be taken to demolish the stairs in the tilting building.
Regarding this, an article by the self-media personality “Wang Laoshi Daily” raised questions about why, if the building had already been identified as dangerous, no actions were taken to reinforce or demolish it. Allowing it to remain within the community is akin to a ticking time bomb. Even though the residents in the building have been evacuated, there are still people living in surrounding buildings, potentially endangering other residents.
The article pointed out that the rapidly expanding crack indicated ongoing tilt of the building, and given that there are residential buildings on both sides of the structure, the consequences of a collapse would be dire. Furthermore, the strong smell of gas at the scene suggests a potential gas leak, adding to the danger.
In response to the Harbin official report stating that steps will be taken to dismantle the tilting stairs, some internet users have raised doubts.
User A Dream stated: “Residents were relocated in 2022, why did it take until 2024 to decide on demolition?”
User Wood said: “Demolition is easy, but who will compensate the buyers?”
User Pupil of Feng Qingyang asked: “What is the relocation plan?”
User Luck7787 commented: “In about 30 years, such news will basically be standard across various locations.”