SYDNEY: Australian police evacuated thousands of people in west Sydney late Christmas Eve, after residents reported hearing a “loud crack” from a 38-story building.
About 3,000 people from inside the tower and in nearby buildings were told to leave late Monday, with engineers investigating after the apartment complex moved “one or two millimeters.”
“Police received a call to a loud crack on level 10 of the building located behind us,” New South Wales Fire and Rescue acting superintendent Greg Wright said from outside the Opal Tower complex.
Police “identified there was a crack in the building,” he added, alerting emergency services.
An AFP photographer at the scene said following an inspection of Opal Tower by engineers and firefighters, police were allowing residents of the surrounding buildings to return to their homes.
Some residents of Opal Tower were also allowed to return, although not those living in the section of the building where the crack had been found.
It was unclear when those residents would be allowed back into the building, with a temporary shelter set up at a nearby hall.
“I have been told by engineers it (the building) has moved one or two millimeters,” detective superintendent Philip Rogerson told reporters, without going into detail.
A police spokesperson said the building was 38 storys high.
The apartment tower located in Sydney’s Olympic Park complex was recently built, opening this year with 392 apartments, according to national broadcaster the ABC.
“We are aware of the concerns that have arisen with the Opal building and confirm that the builder has been notified,” a spokesman from the development company told the ABC.
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Thousands evacuated after ‘loud crack’ in Sydney tower
Thousands evacuated after ‘loud crack’ in Sydney tower
- About 3,000 people from inside the tower and in nearby buildings were told to leave late Monday
Northern Japan hit by deadly snowfall, as warnings issued on more heavy snow
- The biggest number of snow-related fatalities, at 12 people, was reported in Niigata Prefecture
- Various task forces were set up to respond to the heavy snow in Niigata and nearby regions
TOKYO: Heavy snow battering northern Japan in the last two weeks has been blamed in 35 deaths nationwide so far, including people suffering sudden heart attacks or slipping while shoveling snow, government officials said Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, 15 prefectures have been affected, with the amount of snow piled up in the worst hit areas estimated to have reached 2 meters (6.5 feet).
The biggest number of snow-related fatalities, at 12 people, was reported in Niigata Prefecture, a rice-growing region in northern Japan, including a man in his 50s who was found collapsed on the roof of his home in Uonuma city on Jan. 21.
In Nagaoka city, a man in his 70s was spotted collapsed in front of his home and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He is believed to have fallen from the roof while raking snow, according to the Niigata government.
Japan’s chief government spokesperson warned that, although the weather was getting warmer, more danger could lie ahead because snow would start melting, resulting in landslides and slippery surfaces.
“Please do pay close attention to your safety, wearing a helmet or using a lifeline rope, especially when working on clearing snow,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters.
Various task forces were set up to respond to the heavy snow in Niigata and nearby regions, which began Jan. 20. Seven snow-related deaths have been reported in Akita Prefecture and five in Yamagata Prefecture.
Injuries nationwide numbered 393, including 126 serious injuries, 42 of them in Niigata. Fourteen homes were damaged, three in Niigata and eight in Aomori Prefecture.
The reason behind the heavy snowfall is unclear. But deaths and accidents related to heavy snow are not uncommon in Japan, with 68 deaths reported over the six winter months the previous year, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
More heavy snow is forecast for the coming weekend.
As of Wednesday, 15 prefectures have been affected, with the amount of snow piled up in the worst hit areas estimated to have reached 2 meters (6.5 feet).
The biggest number of snow-related fatalities, at 12 people, was reported in Niigata Prefecture, a rice-growing region in northern Japan, including a man in his 50s who was found collapsed on the roof of his home in Uonuma city on Jan. 21.
In Nagaoka city, a man in his 70s was spotted collapsed in front of his home and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He is believed to have fallen from the roof while raking snow, according to the Niigata government.
Japan’s chief government spokesperson warned that, although the weather was getting warmer, more danger could lie ahead because snow would start melting, resulting in landslides and slippery surfaces.
“Please do pay close attention to your safety, wearing a helmet or using a lifeline rope, especially when working on clearing snow,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters.
Various task forces were set up to respond to the heavy snow in Niigata and nearby regions, which began Jan. 20. Seven snow-related deaths have been reported in Akita Prefecture and five in Yamagata Prefecture.
Injuries nationwide numbered 393, including 126 serious injuries, 42 of them in Niigata. Fourteen homes were damaged, three in Niigata and eight in Aomori Prefecture.
The reason behind the heavy snowfall is unclear. But deaths and accidents related to heavy snow are not uncommon in Japan, with 68 deaths reported over the six winter months the previous year, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
More heavy snow is forecast for the coming weekend.
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