MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Video shows India's unsafe 'twin towers' razed to the ground in explosion that registered a 0.4 on Richter

The demolition of the building has caused a loss of about $12.5million to the developer

DELHI, INDIA: A Supertech complex in Noida, Uttar Pradesh in the northern part of the country collapsed on Sunday, August 28, in just about nine to 12 seconds after wiring 8157lb of explosives to the building. In August 2021, the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the towers as their construction violated the minimum distance requirement.

According to the court, the buildings were built illegally without taking the consent of the individual flat owners as required under India's Uttar Pradesh Apartment Act. Hence declaring they were too unsafe to stay. The demolition of the building has led to a loss of about $12.5million to developer Supertech.

ALSO READ

Surfside collapse: Heartbreak for families as rescuers give up with condo set for demolition

Surfside collapse: Israeli rescue expert believes there are no survivors with 121 still missing

According to DailyMail, 5,000 residents from the surrounding buildings were evacuated due to safety fears and the explosion led to an incredible 80,000 tonnes of debris. Engineers calculated the vibrations on the Richter scale from the blast reached 0.4. More than 1,000 lorries moved the 80,000 tonnes of debris outside the city. The twin towers which are called Apex and Ceyane are located at Sector 93A in Noida. One of the buildings has an altitude of 103 meters, while another is around 97-meter tall. Noida Authority’s Planning Manager, Ishtiaq Ahmed said that the authorities have made necessary arrangements for steel and concrete to be separated on-site. Once the separation is done, 21,000 cubic meters of the debris will be moved to the outskirts of the city in over 1000 lorries.

Evacuated residents from the neighborhood, who left with their vehicles and pets, were allowed to return in the evening once the dust got settled. Medical personnel was present at the building site to deal with emergencies. Meanwhile, a nearby hospital reserved over 50 beds as part of a safety and contingency plan. According to DailyMail, the entire operation was carried out at a cost of $2.3million (£2million).

The building structure consisted of two towers 'Ceyane' and 'Apex' that were being considered and marketed as a luxury living housing community. The builders built 915 flats and were expecting to gain a sum of $148.5 million (£127million) after sales. A similar incident had taken place in India two years ago, where a high-end apartment block on Kerala's coast, Kochi the Holy Faith H2O building was blasted to the ground in just five seconds after it was found to have been built in violation of norms.