Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend E.Huseynli / Geological-engineering processes may have caused the collapse of a sixteen-storey building at the intersection of Nakhchivani and Mukhtarov Streets. It is a mistake to build multi-storey buildings here, as the buildings should not be more than ten floors, Ali Aliyev, the Director of the Geo-Ecological Monitoring Centre of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, said.
"From the geological point of view, this territory is regarded weak for the construction of high buildings. The geological processes and subsoil water destroy rocks. After a drop in the level of water, rock is clenched under the weight of the building and its balance is lost, which results in the collapse of the building," Aliyev said.
The building, which was under construction by Mutaffakir company at the intersection of Nakhchivani and Mukhtarov Streets, collapsed on 28 August at 17:00. According to official reports, the death toll has reached twelve and there have been six injured.
The Union of Azerbaijani Architects names two reasons for the collapse. "False design of the construction, or false execution of the work might have caused the collapse of the building," Hafiz Amirkhanov, Vice President of the Union, said on 30 August.
The collapse can also be a result of improper foundation not corresponding with the height of the building. On the other hand, it might be caused by poor quality of construction materials and unskilled specialists.
Aliyev refuted reports, urging the seismic processes to be the cause of the collapse of the building and said that no tremors were registered in the period when the incident occurred. Nevertheless, the Absheron Peninsula is considered to be a seismically active zone and high buildings should not be built here.
Ali Muradov, the Director of the company Mutefekkir, who carried out the construction, as well as other senior company officials have been arrested.
