Hole found beneath Essen apartment complex building.
Below a towering building in Essen's Freisenbruch district, a cavity was uncovered. The location is close to an ancient mining shaft. The 83 occupants were forced out in the dead of night - with no clue as to when they might be allowed back into their homes.
Due to mining-related damage, the inhabitants of an apartment building in Essen's Freisenbruch neighborhood were forced out of their homes at dawn on a Saturday. As stated by Nico Blum, the spokesperson for the Essen Fire Department, a void was discovered under the multi-story building, causing doubts about the structural stability of the building. emergency services were dispatched around 10:00 PM and concluded their operation around 3:00 AM.
The entrance to a more than century-old ventilation tunnel from the mining era is situated beneath the multi-story building, as revealed by a city representative. Recent investigations by the mining authority were carried out in the vicinity the previous week. The cavity was detected during this process. Following a thorough examination by building inspectors on Friday evening, they ordered the evacuation of the building.
For the elderly residents of the building, it was a bitter pill to swallow, having to vacate their homes late at night without any warning, potentially for an extended period. The spokesperson stated that the evacuation overall went smoothly, but some residents initially refused to leave their apartments.
Temporary Shelter
Thirty-three affected residents were housed in a hotel, which also serves as a refugee accommodation center, according to the city. Some elderly and disabled residents were temporarily admitted to hospitals. The majority opted to crash with friends and family. The fire department predicts that the residents won't be able to return to their apartments for weeks.
In the Ruhr region, there is a vast underground network of shafts and tunnels that traverse the earth. Fissures are common. These are mining damages that appear on the earth's surface. Some recall an instance in Bochum-Wattenscheid, where in 2000, a 500 square meter cavity formed in a residential area, causing two garages to sink into it.
Coal mining in Germany ended in 2018, concluding over 200 years of operation. Despite this, the former mining company RAG still receives thousands of reports of mining damages to buildings as a result of coal mining and the voids at great depths.
Mining damages are financially compensated by RAG and repaired by specialized companies. For example, in 2014, during the compensation process, a leaning primary school building, which had settled over a meter, was hydraulically lifted. Claims for compensation for mining damages expire within three years of discovery.
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The mining authorities had previously investigated the area around the ancient mining shaft located beneath the affected building in Essen, as mentioned earlier. Due to international concerns about the safety of structures built above abandoned mining shafts, the city will likely collaborate with international experts to assess the situation.
