Sydney's Opal Tower is evacuated for the second time with ALL residents told not to return for ten days - after massive cracks in the walls sparked fears the 38-storey building would collapse
- Residents in Sydney's Opal Tower being evacuated for the second time in days
- People living in 38-storey Olympic Park high-rise given 24 hours to leave again
- Newly-built structure will be assessed for further cracks in a pre-cast panel
All residents in Sydney's new Opal Tower are being evacuated for the second time in three days - and have just 24 hours to leave over fears the 38-storey building could collapse.
People living in the $165million high-rise apartment at Olympic Park, in the city's west, have been sent a message from builder Icon Construction, advising them they would have to leave again.
Icon told residents on Thursday afternoon that developer Ecove had advised them they would be 'progressively relocating residents over the coming 24 hours' and would keep them away for 10 days.
All residents (pictured) n Sydney's Opal Tower are being evacuated for the second time in three days - and have just 24 hours to leave following fears the 38-storey building could fall
People living in the $165million high-rise apartment at Olympic Park, in the city's west, have been sent a message from builder Icon Construction, advising them they would have to leave
On Christmas Eve, as many as 3,000 residents from the Opal Tower and surrounding streets were evacuated and made to sleep at nearby Sydney Olympic Park or with relatives and friends.
Icon Construction sent residents a message on Thursday afternoon telling them they would have to be evacuated again to 'enable comprehensive investigations to continue into the cracking of a pre-cast panel that occurred on Christmas Eve'.
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'Residents are being warned this may take 10 days,' it said.
Accommodation is being sought for the residents, three days after they were forced to leave the $165 million building, near the Olympic Park train station, which opened in August 2018.
On Christmas Eve, as many as 3,000 residents from the Opal Tower and surrounding streets were evacuated and made to sleep at nearby Sydney Olympic Park
Icon told residents on Thursday afternoon that developer Ecove had advised them they would be 'progressively relocating residents over the coming 24 hours' and kept away for 10 days
A shocking photo from inside the building showed a plaster wall collapsed in a heap and a crack down the length of the wall. Yellow tape was on the door handle
On Christmas Eve, residents reported hearing loud cracks coming from the 10th floor through the morning and raised the alarm about 2.45pm.
Firefighters and public works engineers found a large crack along an internal support wall after the building moved one to two millimetres.
A shocking photograph, taken on level 10, showed a collapsed plaster wall and a crack down the full length of the wall.
On Thursday, Icon Construction said the damaged section of the building had now been reinforced 'as a precautionary measure'.
Global engineering group WSP and senior engineers from the Japanese Kajima Corporation are investigating the structural integrity of the building.
Developer Ecove released a statement on Boxing Day where director Bassam Aflak blamed the builder Icon Construction and described the Opal Tower (pictured) as a 'high quality building'
In a statement, Icon Construction said the building was structurally sound.
'The temporary relocation is a precautionary measure to allow engineers to work around the clock to investigate and remediate the site in the quickest time possible, without any further disruptions to residents,' it said on Thursday.
A resident of the building, who attended the meeting with Icon Construction on Thursday afternoon, told Daily Mail Australia the builders were 'trying to calm people down, but people are angry here'.
Developer Ecove released a statement on Boxing Day where director Bassam Aflak blamed the builder Icon Construction and described the Opal Tower as a 'high quality building'.
'We, like the residents, are anxious that the builder defines the problem and resolves it as soon as possible,' he said.
The 117-metre high Opal tower has 392 apartments along with a childcare centre and other businesses.
The brand-new high-rise was built alongside numerous other similar blocks in Olympic Park as part of a major urban renewal project.
The $165million building was only completed in March and opened in August.
Developer Ecove which had also built other nearby residential complexes.
Two-bedroom apartments are on sale for $934,000 with one bedroom units going for $620,000.
Residents of the affected units were escorted back to gather their belongings from Christmas Day
Residents in all but 51 high-risk apartments in the complex were progressively allowed to collect their belongings from Christmas Day, under escort from firefighters.
They were given accommodation at the Novotel and Ibis hotels in Olympic park.
New South Wales Opposition Leader Michael Daley on Thursday vowed Labor, if elected in March, would change the law so developers would have a certifier allocated to them, rather than allowing them to choose a private engineer.
'What people have recommended in various reports… is have what they call a cab rank rule,' he told Sydney radio 2GB.
Two-bedroom apartments in the Opal Tower are on sale for $934,000 with one bedroom units going for $620,000
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