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]

Farmville Lake Road Spillway Collapses in Storm

Published: Friday, September 30, 2011 8:24 AM CDT

In last week’s “Where is it?” (Page A3) we featured a photo of a spillway at the end of Farmville Lake Road. The spillway is at the end of the state maintained road and is part of the only easement to the three homes on the other side of the dam that holds back Farmville Lake.

On Friday morning, areas around Farmville reported as much as 4 inches of rain in a few hours. The resulting flooding closed streets in Farmville and flooded cars on Longwood University’s campus.

At Farmville Lake, however, the damage was more severe. At 9:00 a.m. there was more than 16 inches of fast moving water flowing over the spillway. Large fish were jumping from the water onto the banks in an attempt to escape the fast moving flow.

At 10:12 a.m., the concrete spillway collapsed, threatening to release the more than 12-acre lake downstream onto The Manor Golf Course.

Prince Edward County officials arrived shortly after, along with representatives from VDOT. Since the spillway is not part of a state maintained road, the decision about how to repair it falls on the owner of the lake, not on the county or state.

On Wednesday at press time, the level of the lake had returned to normal and it doesn’t appear that the lake will drain at this time. See more photos on Page A2.

CAPTION: Above: This photo was taken at 10:12AM on Friday, September 23 moments after the spillway began to collapse. While the damage is severe, it appears that the lake will maintain its level.

http://www.southsidemessenger.com/articles/2011/09/30/news/top_stor...

This is a couple weeks ago but the before and after pix show the extreme pressure of water destroying the road.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Two hurt in Dedham deck collapse

By Dawn Gagnon, BDN Staff

Posted Oct. 10, 2011, at 9:48 p.m.
Last modified Oct. 10, 2011, at 10:27 p.m.

DEDHAM, Maine — Two people were injured late Monday afternoon when a deck and stairway attached to the back of of a Bald Mountain Road garage gave way, causing them to plummet about 20 feet to the ground.

A third person fell but did not require a trip to the hospital, Assistant Chief Craig Shane of the Dedham Fire Department said Monday night.

Though Shane did not release the names of the people involved, he did say that those injured were a couple who reside in the apartment, located at 858 Bald Mountain Road. He said the injuries they suffered were not life-threatening.

“We were lucky that it turned out to be less serious than it initially sounded,” he said.

A LifeFlight helicopter initially was requested but was called off after the extent of the injuries was determined, Shane said. Instead, the injured were taken to a local hospital for treatment by Dedham fire and rescue personnel and Capital Ambulance.

Further information about their injuries and medical conditions was not immediately available Monday night, he said.

According to Shane, the incident occurred about 4:15 p.m. as the three were leaving the garage apartment.

http://bangordailynews.com/2011/10/10/news/hancock/two-hurt-in-dedh...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/sandiegochannel8-15751279/sinkhole-doub...

Sinkhole doubles in size overnight

Fri, Oct 7, 2011 - KFMB San Diego 2:38 | 484 views

A huge sinkhole that formed on a Sorrento Valley street is getting bigger

It's now a road collapse, video in link

 

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Shed collapse injures two in Webster Township

Posted: Sat, Oct 8, 2011 : 6 p.m

Two men were injured Saturday afternoon when a shed collapsed in the 4000 block of Farrell Road in Webster Township, fire officials said.

A construction worker was pouring concrete just after 12:15 p.m. when the shed fell on him, pinning him under it. Another individual at the scene was also injured.

The Dexter Area Fire Department was called to the scene. According to firefighter Lee Root, both men suffered injuries but they were not life-threatening.

They were both transported to the University of Michigan Hospital.

Further details were not available Saturday

http://www.annarbor.com/news/dexter/shed-collapse-injures-two-in-we...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Boy killed in wall collapse

Kishore Raj (5) of Alapakkam, studying in St. Antony's Matriculation School located at Chinna Kanganakuppam, was killed when a portion of a bathroom wall in the school collapsed on him on Friday.

Another student, Harish (3), from Suzhiyankuppam in Puducherry, sustained fracture in the legs. Harish has been admitted to a private hospital in Puducherry.

VCK cadres blocked traffic on Cuddalore-Puducherry main road, seeking action against the “callous school management that paid least attention to the safety of students.” Government officials intervened and the protestors dispersed.

The school administration has agreed to give a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to Raj's family and bear the medical expenses of Harish

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2520239.ece

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2045550/A320-pothole-leaves...

That sinking feeling: Car left stranded in giant pothole after burst water main causes road to collapse

Last updated at 10:02 AM on 6th October 2011

Many of us get that sinking feeling on the way to work. For this driver, however, the problem ran a little deeper.

As she made her way to her office, the ground opened up and swallowed her car.

Fortunately the motorist, who has not been named, was able to clamber out of the giant pothole, caused by a water main bursting below the road on the A320, between Woking and Chertsey in Surrey.

That sinking feeling: The silver Vauxhall Meriva was swallowed by the road on the A320 between Chertsey and Woking in Surrey because of a burst water main

Her silver Vauxhall Meriva was not so lucky, becoming submerged in the crater as tens of thousands of gallons of water gushed from the fractured pipe.

Witness Paul Rimmer said the rupture washed away layers of soil beneath the tarmac road surface, causing it to cave in.

He added: ‘The driver managed to get out while stuck quite far down in the hole and she walked off to work, leaving engineers to haul out the car.

‘However, the car then just sank lower and lower and then it started to fill up with water. She had a very lucky escape.’

The large pipe erupted at about 5am, flooding the busy road.

Hard to swallow: The silver hatchback fell into the huge pothole, leaving engineers to haul out the car

Rupture: The giant hole in the road was caused by a burst water main. The car's female driver had stopped after hearing a noise when the road gave way beneath her

The female motorist driving her hatchback had stopped her car after hearing a loud noise coming from the road.

In a matter of seconds, the road then gave way and swallowed her car up.

Police were called to the scene shortly afterwards and the road was then closed at around 7am.

The water was turned off by 8.30am, but the road remained closed on Wednesday lunchtime because of the substantial hole in the southbound carriageway.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Man Killed in Somers, MA well collapse.

During a routine drilling the well collapsed and the victim was trapped 15 feet underground beneath dirt and mud.

Can't copy story.

http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2011/10/05/towns/somers/doc...

[astrogal50]

India's Taj Mahal In Danger Of Collapsing

First Posted: 10/5/11
India's iconic Taj Mahal is in danger of collapsing within five years if the issue of its rotting wooden foundation isn't addressed.

The 358-year-old-structure is located in the city of Agra, and serves as a mausoleum in memory of the wife of an emperor. As the most famous of India's tourist attractions, it draws four million visitors annually.

Campaigners exist to protect the Taj Mahal, and according to the Daily Mail, they believe its foundations are compromised, having become brittle over the centuries. Evidence of structural problems include cracks that appeared in the structure last year, and signs that its four minarets are tilting.

Apparently the Taj Mahal stands on the edge of a now dried-up river, and the foundations are rotting due to lack of water.

"This was never anticipated by its builders," Professor Ram Nath, a historian and leading Taj Mahal authority told the Daily Mail. "The river is a constituent of its architectural design and if the river dies, the Taj cannot survive."

The Indian government has set up a body to deal with the preservation of this UNESCO World Heritage site. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/indias-taj-mahal-in-dange_...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

INCIDENT: SCAFFOLD COLLAPSE IN LONDON

Pictures show scale of potential disaster on busy Fulham high street 

The Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle has reported on a scaffold collapse onto a pavement in London. The structure collapsed on busy stretch of Lillie Road in Fulham on Monday 3rd October.

Planning permission has been granted for a three-storey block of flats on the site of former council property sold to Jersey-based firm Golden Dreams Ltd. Investigators are now seeking to establish the cause of the collapse.

Scaffold seen “swaying in the wind”

An eyewitness said:

“I was standing outside smoking and out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving. It seemed to come down in slow motion, the polls were bending 90 degrees and then it crashed to floor. If someone had been underneath they would have died, unless they were a very small child. It’s really lucky no one was walking down there at the time.”

A local shopkeeper told the Chronicle said:

“It’s a amazing no one was passing – this is one of the busiest roads in the area and is used by hundreds of people a day. There is no doubt this could have killed someone.

It did seem quite overloaded and I have often seen it swaying in the wind. There have been people working on it every day until a few weeks ago but not so much lately.”

This article was posted on 5th October 2011

http://www.ppconstructionsafety.com/newsdesk/2011/10/05/incident-sc...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Wall of IDA Pharmacy collapses

Owner said front half of building will have to be taken down

 

Photo by Bev McMullen

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GRAVENHURST - The north wall of the IDA Pharmacy building, where a fire occurred just one month ago, collapsed at the corner of Brock Street and Muskoka Road Tuesday morning.
Prior to the collapse, structural engineers had determined that the 120-year-old building was not sound and took measures to cordon off the area with fencing, explained Lockie Wye with Triton Engineering.
No one was hurt when the wall fell.
According to one of the building’s owners, Katie Keates, construction workers had been excavating the sidewalk in the vicinity of the building on Monday. The work is part of Muskoka Road’s reconstruction.
She said at this point the cause of the collapse is not known.
Keates did indicate there was a lot of vibration from the roadwork.
Keates said she has been told that the front part of the building, which dates back to before the turn of the 20th century, will have to be taken down because of the damage.
“The back half of the building was still sturdy and the front was sturdy until recently,” she said.
According to Wye, some of the building’s brick façade had fallen off on Monday, but he could not say if the road construction work had anything to do with the collapse.
“I don’t believe construction had anything to do with it, but how would you ever know?” said Wye. “I really don’t know if excavation played a role. There is no way for anyone to know.”
He believes the structural support wall behind the brick façade had “bowed very badly and pushed the outside brick off.”
Wye said the damage was first noticed by workers from the disaster restoration company working to gut the interior of the fire-ravaged building.
A structural engineer assessed the situation and recommended fencing off the area for fear the wall would collapse.
Keates said workers were going to shore up the wall of the building Tuesday morning, but the wall came down before the work was attempted.
“The important thing is again, no one was inside the building,” said Keates. “Even though it’s more bad news, I still feel lucky that no one was hurt.”

 

http://www.cottagecountrynow.ca/news/local/article/1219069--wall-of...