A demolition in Denmark went horribly wrong as a disused silo fell sideways, crushing part of the town’s cultural centre.
A crowd had gathered in the town of Vordingborg to watch the collapse of the concrete silo, reacting with horror as it became apparent that the demolition was not going according to plan.
After initially sinking to the left, the 173ft concrete tower unexpectedly lurched to the right, towards a cultural centre housing the town’s library and music school.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
“Onlookers can be heard shouting ‘no, no, no!’ in the background as the silo begins to topple in the wrong direction,” The Local reports.
“A photo of the aftermath shows one corner of the waterfront building reduced to a mess of splintered lumber and stone, with the fallen silo just feet away,” says the New York Post.
No-one was inside the cultural centre, which had been evacuated prior to the demolition as a safety measure.
“This kind of thing should not happen,” Vordingborg mayor Mikael Smed told The Local. “But I am first and foremost happy that nobody was injured.”
The centre has been temporarily closed while the affected corner of the building is assessed for “structural damage”, and offices are cleared of masonry dust and broken glass.
