HÀ NỘI – Residents in Block N5 of Đồng Tàu apartment building in Hà Nội’s Thịnh Liệt Ward are concerned about their safety after the lobby floor partially caved in last week.

According to reporters who visited the building on Sunday, some 20 square metres of floor surface had opened up, creating 50 centimetre holes. These holes, located in the middle of the floor, were causing considerable inconvenience for those who lived in the building. Cracks have also been seen on the walls.

According to residents, the caving in of the floor has affected water pipelines and electricity in the building.

Also, residents have placed a warning sign in front of the lobby.

Nguyễn Văn Tỉu, a resident in Apartment 702, said he heard a loud noise, after which the building’s water supply stopped.

He then went downstairs and found the floor of the lobby had caved in.

He noted that there were no people in the lobby at that time.

According to Tỉu, careless construction, such as using loose sand, has created gaps underground. This made the surface weak and easy to collapse.

The Đồng Tàu apartment buildings are under the management of Hà Nội’s Housing Management and Development Company.

Trần Văn Sáu, former head of the residential group of N5 Block, said that the apartment building was built in 2005 and began taking in residents in 2007.

In 2014, other buildings also suffered from floors caving in and walls cracking. The lobby’s floor had once before developed holes.

Lê Văn Dục, director of the municipal Department of Construction, inspected the building yesterday morning.

He required the building’s construction group to begin repairs on the floor at 8am this morning. The work must be completed within ten days. – VNS