Collapse of Prefabricated Panel Houses in Wenzhou

There have indeed been incidents of collapse or damage to prefabricated panel houses in Wenzhou. Here are the details:

Hongyuan Community: Built in 1986, this community is one of the earliest batches of commercial housing in Hongqiao Town, Yueqing, Wenzhou. It consists of four five-story staircase buildings with a total of 52 households, all constructed using prefabricated panels. Due to issues such as wall cracking and water leakage, annual repairs that never fully resolve the problems, and a lack of elevators and parking spaces, coupled with the fact that the young people who moved in back then are now all elderly, all homeowners signed an agreement in December 2024 to demolish and rebuild their homes on the original site, raising 10.1 million yuan themselves for the reconstruction. The total contract price covers demolition, design, construction, elevators, pipelines, etc., and is expected to be completed by the end of June next year. Although this incident did not directly involve a collapse, it reflects the safety hazards associated with prefabricated panel houses due to their age and structural deterioration, as well as the proactive measures taken by homeowners to improve their living conditions.

May 9, 2023 Incident: In Xin Street, Luoman Town, Liunan District, Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, during the demolition of an old house, the prefabricated panels on the floor broke and collapsed, resulting in one death and one injury. Although this incident occurred in Guangxi, it reveals the potential safety risks associated with prefabricated panel structures during demolition or renovation, serving as a warning to areas like Wenzhou that also have prefabricated panel houses.

November 11, 2023 Incident: A residential building on Yantou Lane, Qiaotou Town, Yongjia County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, collapsed during renovation, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of four people. The collapsed building was a prefabricated panel structure, and the adjacent houses at No. 5 and No. 6 Yantou Lane were also affected and identified as Grade D dangerous buildings, posing serious safety hazards according to a short-term risk assessment. This incident directly demonstrates the potential for collapse accidents during the renovation of prefabricated panel houses and the severe consequences that can result.