Bucharest apartment block evacuated after resident reports crack spanning three floors

Emergency responders evacuated a multi-storey residential block in Bucharest after a resident reported a fissure running between the 5th and 8th floors. The incident, reported through the 112 emergency number, prompted the fire department, a special rescue detachment, a water-foam fire engine, an SMURD medical team, and a transport vehicle to secure the site and protect evacuees from cold weather. Inspectors from the State Construction Inspectorate are on site to perform a technical assessment, with the prefect prepared to convene an emergency committee if a risk is identified.

The building, classified as seismic-risk, contains 36 apartments and is home to roughly 65 people. While a magnitude-4.8 quake struck the Vrancea zone on Monday, officials have not yet established a direct link to the crack. The quake’s epicenter was near Buzău and Covasna, affecting nearby cities such as Brașov, Sfântu-Gheorghe, Ploiești, Târgoviște and Focșani.