Melbourne Construction Site Pit Collapses; Investigations Underway

On Thursday, a large portion of a 15 metre deep pit collapsed at a Mount Waverly construction site in Melbourne after a heavy rain. According to ABC news, the Victorian Building Authority said that the collapse, which forced 10 university students to flee, could have been avoided if all the regulations were followed.

Earlier this week, another incident of a wall collapsing at the corner of the same construction site was reported that seem to have threatened the existence of two townhouses. The news of the yesterdays collapse came after excavation work was underway for a three-storey building with a car parking area at the basement. A family of four had to be evacuated from their home next door following the first collapse on Tuesday night, reported ABC.

The chief commissioner of the Victorian Building Authority confirmed that investigations have started to find out the reason behind such collapse. "There's already an investigation underway by the relevant municipal building surveyor at Monash Council and also WorkSafe," he told ABC.

However, he also mentioned that Victoria’s Building Act should look after its workers protection and other buildings in the vicinity. Adrian Stafferton, a sergeant who reported to the scene said the recovery would be time consuming and unless the hole is covered up, home inspection could be proceeded with. He suggested ensuring safety first because the place has turned dangerous.

Once the construction site receives an all-clear signal, discussions of whether to continue with the project would be held reported the Victorian police. 9news reported that local shops have been using portable toilets as they have closed off their sewerage whereas authorities are busy finding out ways as to how to stop such incidents from happening in the future.

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