A ground collapse has occurred at a construction site near the Vazha-Pshavela metro station on 4 Marijani Street in Tbilisi, adjacent to a residential building. Tbilisi City Hall representatives are currently on-site and have discussed the issue with local residents. A team of experts is expected to arrive shortly.
Residents of the building reported that the situation remains dangerous, so they do not plan to return to their homes yet. They stated that if the expert assessment confirms the building is unsafe to live in, the Tbilisi City Hall will evacuate the residents and consider providing them with temporary housing.
“I wasn’t home when the incident occurred, but neighbors say there was a very loud, deafening noise. Construction by the Center Point company was underway here, which was never completed. For the last three years, it has essentially been an abandoned, ruined site where another building was supposed to be constructed. It should have been reinforced because of the very deep foundation pit. We were promised that reinforcement work would be carried out, as our building’s courtyard and this pit share what is essentially the same retaining wall.
Everything just broke away and collapsed. Rain is forecast for tonight, and we don’t know what will happen next. We are told that a laboratory team will arrive to determine how safe it is to remain in the building. We have no intention of returning to our apartments,” one of the residents stated.