Residents of an apartment building in Bucharest were evacuated after a crack appeared between the stairwells

Residents of an eight-story building with 36 apartments in the Drumul Taberei neighborhood of Bucharest were evacuated as a precaution on Saturday after a resident reported a crack between two stairwells of the building. The fissure extends from the fifth-floor level to the eighth floor.

The building is marked as being at seismic risk, and 65 people live in the affected stairwell. The Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Situations Inspectorate intervened at 30 Drumul Taberei Street with the Special Rescue Detachment, a firefighting vehicle, an SMURD crew, and a vehicle intended for transporting people and multiple casualties. The latter was used to provide temporary shelter for the evacuated residents due to the low temperatures.

The authorities have not yet determined whether the fissure appeared as a result of the earthquake on October 19. The State Inspectorate for Construction was asked to conduct a technical assessment and evaluate the building’s safety.