July 18, 2007: Dubai construction floods

[Undertoad]

DucksNuts was so happy to get a IotD about construction that she immediately comes back with another one!

You remember that Dubai is currently the construction capital of the world; it's been the feature of several IotDs including the indoor skiing area, the tallest hotel in the world, etc.

This tower being built in Dubai's Marina was supposed to look like this: 80 stories high, with a 90 degree twist. It would sit right on the edge of the Arabian sea. A website was developed for it and construction began. They dug the area for the foundation and built a wall to keep the sea out.

And then one day the workers heard a loud crack and felt movement.



And saw sand coming in, and then water.



The workers were told to evacuate immediately. And it was a good thing they did, because two minutes later, the entire retaining wall then collapsed.



And in four minutes, the entire dig was completely flooded.



Looks peaceful now.

They are going ahead with the project, but it will be delayed a year.