Terrified workers flee as Chinese skyscraper mysteriously shakes
Thousands evacuated after building wobbles for unknown reasons
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Terrified workers fled a skyscraper in China after it began wobbling without explanation.
The mysterious shaking of the 79-floor building in Shenzhen led to the evacuation of thousands of people, the South China Morning Post reported.
The Shenzhen Emergency Management Bureau said it had received reports the SEG Plaza was wobbling and was investigating.
It said there had not been an earthquake when the shaking took place around 1.50pm on Tuesday and the local weather report showed a wind speed of around 27km per hour - a force unlikely to cause shaking.
"After checking and analysing the data of various earthquake monitoring stations across the city, there was no earthquake in Shenzhen today," a statement on Chinese social media said. "The cause of the shaking is being verified by various departments."
Chen Wei, a worker at the SEG Electronics Market attached to the SEG Plaza, told the South China Morning Post he had not felt any shaking but was told to leave the building with others.
“One of my friends was in the [high rise] building and noticed that the water bottles on the desk started to shake,” he said.
Mr Chen said nearby buildings were evacuated and nearby roads temporarily blocked.
Lu Jianxin, a chief engineer at China Construction Science and Industry Corp, told local newspaper Shenzhen Special Zone Daily that the shaking could have been caused by “resonance” effects.
“If there was no earthquake today, it would be unusual for SEG Plaza to have such a situation,” they said. “Judging from the currently available information, this could be an accidental frequency coincidence, that is, resonance.”
The tower, which stands at a similar height to the Empire State Building in New York City, hosts a major electronics market and various offices.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments