Two illegally built skyscrapers near New Delhi were demolished, thousands of kilograms of explosives leveled them to the ground in less than 10 seconds.
Apartment buildings on the outskirts of the village IndiaThe US capitol was the tallest building ever to collapse in the country in such a short time.
Thousands of people had to be evicted from their homes before the demolition, and crowds watched the spectacle from nearby rooftops, cheering as the 103-metre (338 ft) tower fell.
More than 3,700 kg (8,100 lb) of explosives were used on the 32-story and 29-story buildings, but they were placed strategically to avoid damaging the surrounding area in the city of Noida.
“Mostly everything is fine,” said government administrator Ritu Maheshwari after the demolition. “It happened as expected.”
Photo: AP
Water sprinklers soaked up huge clouds of dust from the Apex and Ceyane towers, and some buildings were covered with white plastic sheeting to protect them.
The buildings were not yet occupied.
The order to destroy them came from the Supreme Court after a long legal battle that ended when the court ruled that their construction violated numerous building and fire safety regulations.
The court also found that the construction was illegal because the developer did not obtain the required consent from other apartment owners in the area.
The authorities plan to use part of the expected 80,000 tons of rubble to backfill the site, and intend to recycle the rest.
One man who lived near the site booked hotel rooms to keep out his twin boys, one of whom suffers from asthma.
Mechanical engineer Sudeep Roy said, “It is best to stay away from the blast site for 24 hours because the air will become toxic and we don’t know how it might affect our health.”
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