Shenzhen skyscraper closed as officials seek cause of shaking

Xinhua

The owner of a 71-floor office tower in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen closed the building on Friday pending an investigation into what caused the skyscraper to begin shaking on Tuesday.

Shenzhen Electronics Group Co Ltd will close the 356-meter SEG Plaza to tenants and shoppers to carry out inspections into the cause of the swaying, it said in a notice posted on the Weibo social media account of Xinhua News agency.

The swaying caused objects on desks in the building to move and workers were evacuated from the tower. Videos shared on social media showed panicked pedestrians fleeing the area after the rocking began.

Several nearby buildings were also evacuated, with police and fire crews sealing off the surrounding area.

The main structure of the building is safe and no cracks were found in the building or its surroundings, the Shenzhen Housing Authority said in a statement on Wednesday. An initial investigation ruled out an earthquake as the cause.

SEG Plaza opened in 2001 and several of the lower floors contain electronics shops.