Authorities evacuated and sealed off a five-storey building that began tilting in the Bandartila area of Chittagong city on Wednesday afternoon.
Abul Mansur, officer-in-charge of EPZ police station, said the building on Akmal Ali Road, named “Shovon Monjil” and owned by Muzibul Haq, began leaning to one side around 2pm. Some cracks were also found on the back wall of the structure.
Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and started evacuating the estimated 100 residents. Around 5pm, an inspection team of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), led by executive magistrate Md Ashraful Amin, visited the building and sealed it off.
As the cracks were not deemed too dangerous, the CDA team gave residents until this morning to remove their belongings, the magistrate said.
The CDA team, along with an engineer of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, will visit the building for further inspection and take measures accordingly, he said.