Tunnel in Sochi could collapse because of illegal construction, builders say

One of the reasons of the collapse of the tunnel on March 3 in Sochi could be the dwelling house, built directly in the construction area without proper approvals, the builders assert.

The tunnel collapsed at the construction of the substitute road to Kurortny Avenue. There were no casualties; however, the dwelling house is under threat of collapse. He strongly tilted and threatens to collapse.

"The collapse occurred as a result of loss of stability of surface soils and the destruction of the retaining wall," reports the press-service of the FKU DSD "Black Sea" – the organization in charge of building the substitute road.

The problem was aggravated by the lack of effective water drain and by the fact that the housing co-operative, whose houses are in the area of building the tunnel, failed to conduct the necessary anti-landslide works.

The collapsed tunnel is part of the substitute road to the Kurortny Avenue, which is being built in preparation for the Olympics. This is the third such incident on road facilities in Sochi, erected within the Federal Olympic Programme. On November 22, 2012, there was a collapse of the roadway in Lysaya Gora Street in Sochi. In summer of 2011, the tunnel also collapsed near the site of today's incident.