China: 980 Ft. Tall Skyscraper Shakes And Wobbles Mysteriously, People Flee in Panic

In a terrifying incident, a skyscraper in China's southern city of Shenzhen was evacuated on Tuesday after it began to shake, sending panicked shoppers scampering to safety.

The near 300-metre (980 ft) high SEG Plaza started swaying at around 1 pm local time, causing a mass evacuation from the building, CNN reported. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed crowds running from the wobbling building, with some screaming and looking back over their shoulders.

The building was sealed shut as of 2:40 pm, according to local media reports.

No safety abnormalities have been found in the building's main structure and surrounding area. The city's housing and construction bureau said in its post on local microblogging site Weibo, as per Global Times.

No earthquakes have been recorded either, and as such authorities remain baffled as to what caused the motion.

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Completed in 2000, the tower is located at the renowned Huaqiangbei Electronics Market in the downtown of one of China's fastest-growing cities.

Emergency management officials are still investigating what caused the tower in Shenzhen's Futian district to wobble.

"After checking and analysing the data of various earthquake monitoring stations across the city, there was no earthquake in Shenzhen today. The cause of the shaking is being verified by various departments," the statement said.

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AFP

It was not immediately clear how authorities will handle a dangerous building of its scale in the heart of a city of over 12 million people.

The tower is named after the semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Shenzhen Electronics Group, whose offices are based in the building. It is the 18th tallest tower in Shenzhen, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat skyscraper database.

Chinese authorities last year banned the construction of skyscrapers taller than 500 metres, adding to height restrictions already enforced in some cities such as Beijing.

The new guidelines for architects, urban planners and developers aimed to "highlight Chinese characteristics" and also banned tacky "copycat" buildings modelled after world landmarks.

Five of the world's tallest skyscrapers are located in China, including the world's second-tallest building, the Shanghai Tower, which stands at 632 metres.

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