Hundreds of people evacuated after crack appears in 30-storey tower
Hundreds of residents have been evacuated from a 30-storey high-rise building in Sydney over fears it could collapse.
Emergency services were called to the Sydney Olympic Park building, in the city’s west, on Monday afternoon after reports residents heard “cracking” sounds throughout the morning, NSW Police say.
AAP understands the building is the Opal Tower, which was completed in August.
A number of residents have left and emergency services are helping more people leave.
Firefighters say a crack has appeared in the high-rise apartment block.
Residents from nearby properties have also been told to leave or are not being allowed back to their homes.
Instead they are being redirected to a police command post.
Police are documenting children from a nearby childcare business as they are taken from the scene, a resident told AAP.
There are numerous exclusion zones around the structure as authorities work to establish if the building is safe.
Aerial footage from 7 News shows fire crews setting up tents while police redirect traffic and pedestrians.
The website for the Opal Tower says the building has 392 apartments, commercial spaces, a childcare centre and a community centre.
It cost $165 million to build.
Trains have stopped running from Olympic Park station as a result of the operation, the Transport Management Centre confirmed on Monday.
Australia Ave has also been closed in both directions.
Fire and Rescue NSW is on the scene with specialist equipment designed to monitor the building for further movement.
