The residents of the apartment block no.40, Drumul Viilor Str, in Chisinau’s Centru district have been evacuated from the building. On Wednesday, several minutes before midnight, the residents sensed two strong and loud quakes and informed the authorities about them. Thursday in the morning, City Hall officials came to inspect the site. According to a press release from the City Hall’s PR department, the quakes were caused by several collapsed foundation pillars, which had been erected on a neighbouring building site. Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca said preliminary investigations showed that the inhabited apartment block hasn’t been affected directly, adding that specialists will very soon establish what might be the long-term effects of the collapsed pillars on the safety of the apartment block; the works on the building site will be suspended, and the project reviewed. The residents complained to the mayor that they had repeatedly protested against the construction of three14-storeyed blocks in the immediate vicinity of the 60-apartment house they have been living in, yet no one listened. The municipality is to establish what kind of assistance the evacuated residents will need until they are able to move back in. In the meantime, the access to their apartments will remain sealed.