Leaning tower blocks of China: buildings ‘still safe to live in’ as roofs touch after subsidence

The tops and sides of two seven-storey blocks of flats in China are now touching after ground subsidence led them to tilt over, mainland media reports.

However, a company hired by the developers to carry out a safety inspection has concluded that the movement of the buildings in the city of Yichang in western Hubei province was “within the normal range” and they were still safe to live in, news website Cnhubei.com reported on Tuesday.

Five flats in a gated compound in the city were built with a space of less than 10 centimetres between each building.

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Inspections carried out by the safety inspection company showed that all five seven-storey buildings have been affected by the subsidence to some extent.

A crack had appeared in the eave of one of the buildings, which was now touching the wall of a neighbouring building, the report said.

A resident who moved into the compound in 2010 told the newspaper that residents had started to notice the buildings tilting over at end of 2014.

“How can people living here be at ease?” the resident was quoted as saying.