Collapsing Buildings and Roadways

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Highway collapse, Jingdong, China, 03.11.25

Building Collapse in Manchester, UK

October 17, 2025, a playground collapsed at Zijiang School in Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, fortunately no casualties were reported. The Zijiang School playground collapse emergency response headquarters announced on Saturday that they have begun an investigation to the cause.

The emergency response headquarters confirmed that the west wall and some playgrounds of the campus of the school collapsed, and the corners of the west side of the Boxue Building (teaching building) were damaged.

ZETATALK: THE STRETCH ZONE, THAT SINKING FEELING

ZetaTalk explores the concept of Earth's "stretch zones"—regions where tectonic plates are being pulled apart due to planetary forces, particularly in anticipation of a predicted pole shift. It focuses heavily on the eastern seaboard of the U.S., the Caribbean, and parts of Europe, warning that these areas will experience significant land subsidence due to the widening of the Atlantic Rift.

Key points include:

• Historical evidence of submerged forests and civilizations off the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda.

• Predictions that areas like Florida, Georgia, and the UK will lose elevation and be permanently flooded.

• A detailed catalog of sinkholes, train derailments, infrastructure collapses, and mysterious odors from 2004–2005, interpreted as signs of Earth stretching.

• The concept of “imploding cities”, where underground infrastructure fails due to shifting rock layers.

• Warnings to relocate from vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas before the pole shift occurs.

More: https://www.zetatalk.com/index/blog1010.htm

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121212/main6.htm

Wednesday, December 12, 2012, Chandigarh, India

Building collapse kills 4 in Faridabad
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, December 11
Four workers were killed and eight others injured when a school building under construction caved in on the premises of the posh SRS Residency Towers located in Sector 88 today. Four construction workers had died yesterday after the wall of a pit collapsed at a stone-crusher unit here.

Rescue operation on at the collapse site. Tribune photo

Faridabad Deputy Commissioner Balraj Singh said the number of casualties and those injured could rise further as more workers were feared trapped in the debris.

The rescue operation was on, he added.

The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in Faridabad, where the condition of one of them was serious.

Those killed included Gopal (25) and Deepak (35), both from Bihar.

Police Commissioner S Kapur along with the Deputy Commissioner supervised the rescue operation. Haryana Labour Minister Shivcharan Sharma also visited the scene.

Sources said the 500 sq yd plot on which the school was coming up was originally a playground, but the SRS management allegedly leased it out to Sukhversa Malhotra of Delhi, who was constructing the school.

Faridabad SDM S Sarwan said a criminal case would be registered against the SRS management and Sukhversa Malhotra.

A team from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) was requisitioned in the evening to speed up the rescue operation.

Around 300 police personnel, including jawans from the HAP, were engaged in the rescue operation. Over five fire tenders and JCB machines were also pressed into service.

The Residency Towers comprises over 10 multi-storeyed buildings. As a precautionary measure, the authorities have temporarily evacuated the two towers adjoining the ill-fated school building.

Gopal Mishra, a vegetable vendor who witnessed incident, said the structure crashed suddenly, leaving little time for the workers to escape.

The authorities said the exact cause of the collapse was not yet known but suspected inadequacy of plinth or sandy nature of the soil to be behind the accident. 

Ground Zero

* SRS Residency Towers in Sector 88 comprises over 10 multi-storeyed buildings

* Finishing touches were being given to the building when it collapsed

* The 500 sq yd plot where the school was coming up was originally a playground, but was leased out to Sukhversa Malhotra of Delhi

 

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://allafrica.com/stories/201212030393.html

Namibia: Shopping Mall Collapses, Deaths Confirmed

By Francis Xoagub, 3 December 2012

Ondangwa — The interior of a shopping centre in central Ondangwa collapsed on Sunday morning, killing at least two people inside a retail shop, and causing structural damage to the rest of the building.

Two people including a child were confirmed dead, while three were seriously injured. The search and rescue mission took on a slow start, as emergency teams feared a rescue attempt could trigger the building to cave in further, as the sound of a snapping structure, including pillars, were still audible for some time.

A concrete beam collapsed inside the building occupied by retail chain Pick 'n Pay B6 Ondangwa at around 10:20am. "We are tremendously shocked and overwhelmed by the unfortunate loss in lives and injuries that occurred as a result of a concrete-beam that collapsed in the rental building that Pick 'n Pay (PnP) leases in Ondangwa. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of this unfortunate incident," Pick 'n Pay said in a statement yesterday afternoon.

Thousands of curious onlookers rushed to the scene of the accident immediately after the collapse of the building, blocking efforts by rescue crews to search for people who were feared buried under the debris.

It is believed that heavy rain in the north over the weekend caused a supposedly fragile interior wall and ceiling of the Pick 'n Pay store to collapse, while people were doing their Sunday shopping.

"I heard what sounded like air-conditioner units falling to the ground, lots of bangs and crashes," said a shopper who survived and witnessed the incident. The adjacent Bank Windhoek branch was closed at the time of the incident.

"On behalf of the Executive Chairman, Sven Thieme of the O&L Group of which Pick 'n Pay is a subsidiary, and also on behalf of the Managing Director, Henry Feris and the entire management of Pick 'n Pay, I wish to offer our sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the families of the deceased and those who experienced tremendous loss on this day. We wish the injured a speedy recovery," Roux-che Locke, the group manager for external relations at O&L Group said in the statement.

Oshana Regional Commander, Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, could not provide further details or release the names of the deceased until their next of kin are notified. "We gave first aid care to one person who suffered light to moderate injuries before we evacuated her to a hospital," a rescue operator said.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/two-dead-five-others-injured-in-...

Two dead, five others injured in Mumbai building collapse

Updated: December 03, 2012 19:39 IST

Mumbai: Two people, including one woman were killed and five others got injured when a part of a central Mumbai collapsed on Monday. The second floor of the building, Victoria House situated in the Kamala Mills compound, was completely damaged.

The building is situated on the Elphinstone Road.

Rescue operations are on. Some people are still believed to be trapped under the debris.

A crack in the building was reportedly noticed at around 11 am after which an evacuation process began. It is during this time that the second floor of the building caved in.

There is no confirmation about the number of people present inside the building at the time of the incident.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

WAPPINGERS FALLS, New York State - U.S.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20121122/NEWS01/12112200...

Zoom

A partial building collapse in Wappingers Falls closes off Main Street/Route 9D today.

Wappingers Falls Building Collapse: Village residents and Mayor Alexander talk about the partial collapse of the village building.

Buildings evacuated after early morning structure collapse; see photo gallery, video

9:39 PM, Nov 22, 2012

WAPPINGERS FALLS — Authorities responded to a partial building collapse in the village this morning.

The incident was reported around 5 a.m. Main Street/Route 9D were closed between Mill Street and Market Street, village police Commissioner Carl Calabrese said.

The buildings on each side of the partially collapsed structure were also evacuated. All of the buildings are mixed commercial/residential.

A handful of onlookers observed as officials worked to stabilize the structure, level by level.

They said once the building is stabilized, what happens to it will be up to the village engineer.

Village officials are investigating what caused the collapse, but said they believe the age of the structure, which they said was built in the late 1800s, was a factor.

It's not clear when the building was last structurally inspected.

“A good portion of the building collapsed from the second floor down,” Calabrese said. “You can see the inside of the bedroom, so it’s all the way through.”

At least one family was home at the time, but there were no injuries. The Red Cross assisted the displaced residents. Another family had relatives to go to, he said.

Wappingers Falls Mayor Matt Alexander, who owns the building next door, said the area will be blocked off until further notice to ensure safety.

The building houses the Falls Diner and multiple residential apartments.

[KM]

A further two buildings in the Sherbrooke/Montreal area along the St. Lawrence Seaway were affected by fire...

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Factory+blasts+condo+fire+prompt+...

Factory blasts, condo fire prompt Quebec probe

Two dead, 21 injured in Sherbrooke explosions

Authorities are investigating three major fires that erupted within a single day in Quebec.

The worst began with a an explosion that destroyed a biotech plant near Sherbrooke, killing two people and sending 19 to hospital.

One of the injured, a 42-year-old man, is in critical but stable condition at a Montreal burn unit, with burns to 90 per cent of his body. Three other men were seriously burned but in stable condition. Two of them sustained burns to their respiratory tract.

"The patient with the extensive skin burns also has an extensive inhalation injury," said Isabelle Perreault, who heads the severe-burn unit at the McGill University Hospital Centre.

She noted that the chance of survival from serious burns decreases when a victim also has a significant inhalation injury. Perreault was more confident about the condition of the other patients.

A huge explosion, which could be heard for kilometres, was followed by a series of smaller blasts and a fire, which destroyed a production plant belonging to Neptune Technologies & Bioressources. A terrified survivor was found later in the rubble.

The company produces health products, such as fish oil. Company shares plunged more than 10 per cent and trading was halted after Thursday's explosion.

It's still unclear what caused the fire.

A similar incident occurred hours later, at a Bombardier Recreational Products complex in Valcourt, about 40 kilometres west of Sherbrooke.

Two people were seriously burned.

Quebec provincial police said the blast occurred just after midnight Friday morning.

It said the victims were a 38-yearold employee and a 54-year-old security guard. Both were taken to a hospital in Quebec City and remained in a medically induced coma early Friday.

The province's workplace health and safety commission was investigating.

Meanwhile, an investigation into a spectacular Montreal blaze was being transferred to the local police. Nobody was injured in that fire, which occurred in an unfinished condo project in Old Montreal.

[Kojima]

[KM]

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11/09/sherbrooke-explosion-deaths...

Deadly Sherbrooke Blast's Cause Still Unknown

CBC  |  Posted: 11/09/2012 6:26 pm EST Updated: 11/09/2012 10:51 pm EST

The mayor of Sherbrooke says his entire community is in shock following the violent explosion at an industrial plant Thursday that killed two and injured 17 others.

"It's a tragedy," Bernard Sévigny said, adding the city lowered its flag to half-mast out of respect for those injured and killed.

"Today, the first thoughts go to the families, the workers."

The cause of the blast is under investigation.

Sévigny said there are still containers of acetone at the plant, which has been largely reduced to a pile of debris.

"Our firefighters are on the site today to try to get the containers out of the plant," he said.

"There is a lot of work to do and [that could take] the whole weekend."

Massive fire followed explosion

The blast happened at about 1:30 p.m. ET at Neptune Technologies et Bioressources Inc., located in an industrial area on Pépin Street.

The company makes health products from krill oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids.

The explosion sparked a massive fire that took emergency crews hours to get under control and triggered fears of toxic exposure due to the acetone at the site.

Environment Quebec later said the fumes from the fire were not toxic and local residents should not be worried.

2 killed, 17 injured

When rescue workers entered the building, they found the bodies of two people, as well as a woman in severe shock.

In total, 17 people were rushed to Sherbrooke University Hospital Centre with injuries ranging from shock to severe burns.

The hospital's director of nursing said Friday morning that the majority of those patients had since been released from hospital. Two remained at the facility to be treated for shock.

Four others were transported to Montreal for treatment of burns.

Sévigny said the plant employs more than 100 people, and the impact of the human loss and the damage to the building is being felt throughout the community.

The mayor said he met with the company's directors earlier Friday and their staff is struggling to fully understand what has happened.

"It's quite difficult for everybody here," he said.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/3-removed-from-collapse...

Investigators looking into the cause of the collapse. 

Video in linkhttp://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoC...

3 Removed From Collapsed Building In West Philadelphia

November 8, 2012 11:47 AM

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The side wall of a three story apartment building collapsed Thursday morning in West Philadelphia.

Three tenants inside at the time of the collapse were not injured.

The brick wall on the second and third floors collapsed onto a vacant lot and the sidewalk on Cambridge Street, near 40th Street in Mantua shortly after 11 a.m.

“I was just sitting in my truck, listening to the radio,” says Alphonso Asber. “I just a heard a loud kaboom, like it was a gas explosion or something. The vibration sort of shook the truck a little bit.”

“It was a big noise and kind of dust and stuff came up,” says Darren Ross, who was home in bed in his second floor apartment. “(It) basically shook me out of bed.”

The collapse allowed a clear view into the apartments where a sink with water shooting out could be seen by onlookers outside.

Fortunately, the floors and the the rest of the structure held, and the residents were able to get out safely.

[Kojima]

[Ghana; 2012-11-07, 2011-10-18, 2011-02-17]

* Blog Post 'Buildings and Roadway Collapse, A Daily Happening' [Added by KM on November 7, 2012]

Ghana department store collapses in Accra

* Blog Post 'Bridges and tunnels at risk everywhere' [Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on October 18, 2011]

The road that links Asankragua and Enchi in the Western Region has been cut off due to the collapse of the bridge that links the two towns.

The collapsed bridge is across River Tano and serves as a link to Wassa Amenfi West which is the leading cocoa growing area in the country followed by the Aowin - Suaman district. The 82-meter steel Bridge was constructed during the establishment of the AT&T, a timber firm, over fifty (50) years ago by the Ghana government, but has not seen any major repair works. The bridge reportedly collapsed on August 2, 2011.

* Ghana: Tremor rattles villages across Ghana [Added by khan on February 17, 2011]

Residents of some communities in Accra at dawn on Wednesday experienced what eyewitnesses described as an earth tremor.

[KM]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20237230

Ghana, West Africa

Ghana department store collapses in Accra

It is feared that dozens of people could be trapped underneath the rubble

 

A multi-storey department store has collapsed in Ghana's capital, Accra, with many people believed to be trapped inside.

Rescue efforts are under way, with reports that least three people have been killed.

The BBC's Sammy Darko, who is at the scene of the Melcom store collapse, says he has seen one person rescued.

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama said he has suspended his electoral campaign for next month's poll.

“Start Quote

I had to run for my life”

Ama Okyere Eyewitness

Accra's mayor, Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, is reportedly at the scene in the Achimota neighbourhood of Accra with rescue workers who are trying to clear the rubble and get oxygen masks to survivors.

"I was very close to the mall because I was going to buy something only for me to see the building coming down," resident Ama Okyere told the AFP news agency.

"I had to run for my life. I was so terrified. I believe there are lots of people trapped under this because this is a heavily patronised shopping mall in the area."

Our correspondent says it is feared that up to 200 people could be trapped.

Family members have been trying to call relatives feared trapped beneath the rubble on their mobile phones, AFP reports.

Another witness, John Owusu, said he heard a bang before the building collapsed.

President Mahama, in a tweet moments after the building collapsed, said: "My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the Achimota Melcom building."