Shanghai authorities declare victory in repairing a flood wall, but a series of accidents raise fears over developments
Shanghai declared victory yesterday in holding back the rising waters of the Huangpu river after repairing a flood wall weakened by the collapse of an underwater tunnel earlier this week.
But a string of accidents involving construction of Shanghai's fourth subway line has focused attention on the city's rapid drive to build infrastructure and has drawn blanket coverage by state media.
This week an underwater tunnel for the subway line collapsed, causing water to rush into the passage. The incident caused an eight-storey building to topple, while three other buildings in the area began to tilt.
Meanwhile, part of a wall used for flood control along the river collapsed, sparking the mobilisation of a thousand paramilitary soldiers to shore up the structure with sandbags and cement.
'My impression is that this is the worst accident of its kind ever in Shanghai,' a subway engineer said.
State media said no one was hurt or injured in the accident. But the incident comes at a bad time for Shanghai, which is struggling to erase the controversy of a land scandal involving property developers, state banks and government officials.