Recently, the iconic building of HuaTie Hotel at Caiyuanba Train Station in Chongqing was demolished by explosion. After the demolition, residents of a high-rise building opposite discovered numerous cracks in their building.
HuaTie Hotel, standing 84 meters tall, is a landmark building at Caiyuanba Train Station in Chongqing, located right next to the station’s square.
According to reports from Jiu Pai News, on May 25th at 4 pm, HuaTie Hotel was successfully demolished by explosion.
Video footage shows that the explosion only destroyed several lower floors of the hotel, while the upper floors tilted to one side, narrowly avoiding hitting the nearby high-rise building. Some netizens commented that this was the largest Class A demolition conducted in Chongqing in nearly 10 years.
After the video was shared online, many netizens questioned whether there was a miscalculation in the demolition process. Some said, “It didn’t collapse vertically as expected.” “It tilted backwards, which looks dangerous.” “Was the demolition not done scientifically, considering the proximity?” “It’s obvious the demolition wasn’t successful, causing the building to crash down and affect the surrounding structures.” “Why didn’t it collapse towards the front where there was more space?”
On the 27th, Mr. Li, the owner of the high-rise building in front of the collapsing building, lodged a complaint with Jiu Pai News. He mentioned that on the day of the explosion, all residents of the building were evacuated. When they returned on the 26th, they found various degrees of cracks throughout the building. The widest crack in Mr. Li’s apartment on the 23rd floor measured around 1 centimeter.
“We are all scared,” Mr. Li expressed. The building has 28 floors, with 23 units on each floor. Residential units are located above the 10th floor, while the lower levels consist of commercial spaces.
Videos circulating online depict significant cracks in the exterior walls, interior walls, and ceilings of the apartment building, both horizontally and vertically.
In response, local officials from Caiyuanba Street Office stated that they have inspected the site with the housing department.
On the evening of the 27th, the Chongqing Yuzhong District Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission issued a notice stating that after monitoring and inspecting the overall structural safety of surrounding buildings near the demolition site, no structural safety hazards were found based on the comparison of monitoring data before and after the explosion. However, they are currently verifying the reported cracks in residents’ homes.
Netizens sarcastically commented, “The official notice is just as we expected!” “With such big cracks, can those who claim there are no safety hazards in the main structure bear legal responsibility?” “When problems arise, they are just trying to evade responsibility, refusing compensation. One day, when the building collapses and people die, these individuals will not feel any guilt.”