Russians Outraged as Apartment Block Collapses in Central St. Petersburg

A six-story apartment block collapsed in central St. Petersburg in the early hours of December 20, sparking outrage from Russians, who accused local authorities of negligence.

The incident took place at about 2 a.m., as the block, located in the city's Gorokhovaya Street, was undergoing repair work. Hours earlier, part of the building's wall had partially collapsed, local media reported.

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said that the block was uninhabited when it collapsed. It wasn't immediately clear if there are any casualties.

Newsweek contacted Russia's foreign ministry via email for comment.

Local TV news channel 78 published footage and images that showed holes in the walls in the building's interior, rubble on the floor and collapsed plaster. One photograph showed a crack along the entire height of the apartment block.

According to St. Petersburg news outlet Fontanka, the building was not recognized as unsafe, although some people had noticed large cracks appearing on the building's walls several years ago.

Residents had appealed to officials to deem the building unsafe, but in October, just a few apartments within the building were declared as being unfit for living by an interdepartmental commission, the publication reported.

"There were huge cracks where [your] hand could fit," one resident said.

The outlet was told that in total, the authorities resettled people from about six apartments, most of which were communal.

"Some of the apartments are in the wing, and some are in the other wing. And only the outbuilding was resettled. The second part of the residents still remained there. We have a common stairwell, but they are not going to resettle them at all," residents of the building told Fontanka.

Some social media users suggested that those who failed to declare the building as unsafe should face legal action.

"Officials and experts who did not recognize the house as unsafe should go to court," one person commented under a Fontanka article.

"Responsible officials on trial!" another wrote.

"Why didn't officials recognize the house as unsafe in a timely manner?" one person asked.

Others pointed to faults elsewhere in the city.

"The city has turned into a garbage dump. There is ice and water with dirty snow everywhere. There is garbage on the ice. Beautiful buildings in deplorable condition....," one person said.

Another blamed city officials, saying the work done by local authorities is "unsatisfactory" at the moment.

"Collapse is everywhere you look; metro construction is a complete failure, the road infrastructure is lagging behind in development by a decade, tariffs for waste disposal have increased exponentially, but recycling plants have not been built, houses are collapsing and falling, winter street cleaning is generally a nightmare, emergency rooms are unable to cope with receiving victims. It's a shame for the city," they said.

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