Photo: Screenshot from video.
Gone in 45 seconds: Dozens of buildings destroyed in Kunming [WATCH]
Tons of explosives were used to blow up 15 buildings in a south-western Chinese province. It is reportedly the largest one-time demolition in the country.
Photo: Screenshot from video.
Fifteen high-rise buildings in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province, were demolished on 27 August after they were left unfinished for seven years. The demolition took approximately 45 seconds. One of the buildings, however, refused to fall and was torn down at a later stage.
CHINESE BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED
The construction of the Kunming complex – named Sunshine City II – began in 2011 and the developer quickly ran out of money, according to Vice News. The developer was acquired by another company and construction came to a complete halt in 2013.
In November 2020, yet another company acquired the construction project’s developer – and its $3.6 million debt (R52.2 million). The new owners applied to have the Kunming complex demolished because they wanted to build newer – and lower apartment buildings – and because the unfinished buildings were not up to scratch.
According to reports, the basements of buildings situated in the southwest of China were submerged in water.
On demolition day, more than 5300 residents were evacuated from surrounding areas and each household was given $23 (R334) in compensation, according to the Kunming Daily. Blowing up the buildings required 4.6 metric tons of explosives, which were installed at approximately 85 000-detonation points on the complexes.
The stubborn building that refused to go down with the rest was reportedly torn down three days later, according to local media reports. According to Yahoo, the Kunming complex demolition is the largest – measured by floor space and number of buildings – one-time demolition in China.
