High-rise flat block in Sydney evacuated after residents report hearing ‘cracking noises’
- More than 3,000 people living in or near the 36-storey Opal Tower in the city’s Olympic Park were told to leave the area
More than 3,000 people living in or near a 36-storey block of flats at Sydney’s Olympic Park were evacuated on Monday after residents reported hearing cracking noises.
Firefighters and engineers were expected to enter the Opal Tower complex late on Monday to examine what caused the reported cracks on its 10th floor and to determine whether the building is in danger of collapse.
“It’s not going to be done in minutes. Hopefully it won’t take longer than hours,” Fire and Rescue Acting Inspector Greg Wright told reporters.
Experts using sensitive monitoring equipment determined that the US$165 million building, completed in August, had moved between 1 and 2 millimetres, according to police Detective Superintendent Philip Rogerson.
Police reportedly had to use heavy equipment to force open doors to allow residents to escape. An exclusion zone with a radius of 1 kilometre was established around the building, forcing the evacuation of neighbouring buildings and the closure of roads and a railway station.