On June 22 noon, a partial collapse occurred in some shops along the Qibao Old Street in Minhang District, Shanghai.
A video released by a netizen shows that a shop named “Xiaomi Taotao” suffered severe collapse of its storefront, causing parts of the walls to fall off as well, with debris such as wall fragments and metal frames scattered on the road, creating a chaotic scene.
An eyewitness told The Paper, “There was a loud ‘bang’ at the scene, and several storefront signs fell heavily to the ground.” The incident happened at noon that day, near the entrance to Qibao Old Street on Qingnian Road.
A passerby mentioned that luckily it was raining at the time, so there weren’t too many pedestrians or tourists around the shop, and there were no casualties at the scene.
An analysis by a netizen from Shanghai in the video area suggested that the collapse was due to “frequent changes in the storefront, causing the walls used to hang storefront signs to be riddled with expansion screws, and some new shops directly adding larger signs outside without removing the old ones, which became too heavy for the walls to bear.” Others believe that “the main reason is the poor quality of the decoration materials.”
Around 18:00 that evening, Qibao Town in Minhang District reported that at 12:03 on the 22nd, storefront signs fell off along Qingnian Road near No. 248, involving 5 shops, with no trapped or injured individuals. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The collapse incident has raised concerns about the safety and quality of construction and renovation practices in commercial areas. Authorities are expected to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the collapse and to implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Local residents and businesses are advised to prioritize safety in their building maintenance and renovation works to avoid such dangerous situations. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of regular inspections and quality control to ensure the structural integrity of buildings and storefronts.
The community hopes that lessons will be learned from this incident to enhance building safety standards and prevent potential risks in the future. Vigilance and adherence to construction regulations are crucial in maintaining the safety of public spaces and preventing accidents like the one that occurred in Qibao Old Street.