Around 5:30am on June 27, the 13 storey Lotus Riverside apartment building complex, still under construction and unoccupied at Lianhuanan Road in the Minhang district of Shanghai city literally fell over on its side.  One worker was killed in the incident.  According to the initial reports, the building fell over when earth was removed from under the building to form a garage. The removed earth was dumped nearby in a landfill, causing a 70 meter section of the flood prevention wall in nearby Dianpu River to collapse. This may have contributed to the collapse of the building.

The building did not break apart, it simply fell over on its side. Most buildings that are in a destructive mode will fall down. This one in China literally fell over, in a very unique form of construction failure.
Urgent safety checks have been ordered on a nearby nearly completed 13-storey apartment block. Other sites throughout the Shanghai have been ordered to be checked as well. Top officials warn of severe punishment for those responsible for the building’s collapse.

Nine employers of the real estate developer, the contractor and supervisor of the project have been detained. The developer’s bank account has been frozen. Home buyers had paid approximately $2,100 per square metre and were ready to move in. They are demanding their money be refunded.

A few days earlier vehicles were plunged into a river after part of a road bridge caved in. All 16 drivers and passengers from the seven vehicles were rescued.

China’s building industry has long been plagued with quality problems, from collapsing bridges and highways, to buildings, including a school building. Often the collapses are linked with corruption as both officials and contractors skimp on construction materials in order to increase profits. Some approvals have been known to be issued without proper inspections being carried out.

The question remains: Are these really the foundatoons of the building?