12-story Apartment Tilts, Residents Evacuated

Residents of a 12-story apartment ,built in Soviet period, were evacuated on Wednesday, following a quake noticeable to the residents caused by a crack. The apartment is located north of Achlal Department Store, in the third micro-district, Bayangol District.

The decision to evacuate the residents was made by the Ulaanbaatar Special Commission during an emergency meeting early Wednesday and the evacuation started at 4 p.m that day.

Specialized inspectors inspected the building and confirmed that it was safe to evacuate residents. Occupants were delivered to nearby hotels by buses during the evacuation.

Residents reported that the building sustained cracks after a construction work started next to the apartment. The foundation of the apartment reportedly sank and the soil underneath became loosened as the nearby construction drilled deeper into the ground.

The apartment residents have been demanding termination of the construction's license from the Ulaanbaatar Land Management Authority since August 2014. However, the decision to annul the license was made only after the apartment tilted due to the cracks on Wednesday morning.

Residents of the building reported that they were upset about the evacuation and related inconveniences as the commission...