Panicked evacuation after mysterious wobbling is felt in Shenzhen skyscraper

2021-05-21T15:32:00-04:00

Thousands of shoppers in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen fled the vicinity of a 957-foot (291-meter) skyscraper Tuesday, after it inexplicably began swaying. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed crowds running from the wobbling building, with some screaming and looking back over their shoulders. The weather was fine at the time and there were no reports of an earthquake in the region. No deaths or injuries were reported.

Approximately 15,000 people were inside the SEG Plaza when it began to shake, according to the official newspaper of the Shenzhen Municipal Community Party Committee. Everyone inside was evacuated within 90 minutes, said local authorities.

剛剛中午時分，位於深圳華強北，樓高73層的賽格電子大廈突然搖晃，原因不明也沒地震！樓宇內人群和樓下人群紛紛逃命！ pic.twitter.com/aoixkH6OeY
— 風再起時【香港挺郭后援會3】 (@dZnJUCdo4FlZqgd) May 18, 2021

Authorities investigating the cause of the shake said in a statement that no abnormalities in the building or the surrounding area were found. There were also no earthquakes in the area.

As noted by The Guardian, Chinese media have reported, through a preliminary investigation, that the wobbling was vertical rather than horizontal and that it was likely caused by a combination of winds, underground rail lines beneath the building, and the stretch of steel caused by rising temperatures.

The 21-year-old building is named after semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Shenzhen Electronics Group. It is located in th...

In case of fire, use elevators

2015-03-20T13:12:00-04:00

The Fire, Buildings and City Planning Departments are writing rules to govern what are called occupant-evacuation elevators — cars that can, in special circumstances, be used to move people down in an emergency. [...] Experts who have spent years studying building evacuations believe that approach has become outmoded and is in itself potentially dangerous as extremely tall skyscrapers increasingly pierce the New York skyline.

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Panicked evacuation after mysterious wobbling is felt in Shenzhen skyscraper

In case of fire, use elevators