On May 27th, in Anhui’s Tongling, a residential building in a community collapsed entirely, leading to some individuals being unaccounted for. Residents of the community revealed that their aunt and her family of three went missing in the accident, and despite a search lasting 5 hours, they had not been found. Public speculation in comments suggested that the building may have been constructed with substandard materials, labeled as “tofu dregs.”
The Tongling Municipal Suburban Emergency Management Bureau reported on the same day that around 1:40 pm, the side of Building 48 in the Longyuan community collapsed. According to China Central Television, on-site personnel stated that approximately 5 individuals were currently missing.
A circulating video showed the collapsed building, a 5-story residential structure, with one side reduced to rubble while the other part remained intact.
As of the time of reporting, the extent of casualties and injuries remains unclear.
Residents of the Longyuan community mentioned that the incident site had been cordoned off, preventing outsiders from approaching. The building that collapsed was a five-story structure with two units per floor, and the collapsed portion accounted for an entire unit.
Some residents indicated that the buildings in the involved community had been standing for at least a decade, and the collapsed structure had occupants residing there normally.
The residents of Building 54 in the community, as reported under Yushipin of Dahe Daily, mentioned that the houses in Longyuan were commercial properties, constructed several decades ago, within an aging community without property management services.
As per Chao News, Longyuan resident Li Min (pseudonym) disclosed that relatives residing in the same community had gone missing in the incident, where Li expressed, “The collapsed side is my aunt’s home,” adding that “they have been missing for 5 hours of rescue efforts.”
Public records revealed that Longyuan was previously designated as a demonstration site for rural residential environmental improvement by the local government. Between 2017 and 2022, public records indicated that the community had been included in various stages of renovation projects for aging communities.
Internet users commented expressing concerns such as “shoddy construction,” “what kind of quality is this?” and “the number of buildings collapsing will only increase in the future.”
Others pointed out specific issues like “prefabricated panel buildings with displacements causing collapses,” suggesting the need for housing reforms, and highlighting the prevalence of aged prefabricated buildings within Tongling’s 812 Teams Villages.
Furthermore, individuals questioned the longevity and quality of structures as they noted the proliferation of deteriorating buildings nationwide, some exceeding fifty years old, with concerns raised over housing market implications, property rights, and continuing vulnerabilities leading to substantial financial losses and stress for prospective homeowners.