Another resident of the building in Astana whose facade collapsed onto passersby has reported numerous cracks in his apartment. The tragedy claimed the life of paramedic Uldana Myrzuan, reports infohub.kz.
As the witness told the court, he bought an apartment on the ninth floor. Some time later, a faucet leaked and the ceiling was flooded. Going up to the technical floor, he reported this to the head of the building, a woman named Akhmetova, and then discovered a significant crack along the entire perimeter of the ceiling. According to him, Akhmetova gave no clear answers, only promises. No one informed him about problems with the building. After the collapse, new cracks appeared on the ceiling and walls. In the bedroom, a crack was covered with drywall, and, as it later turned out, an expert examination had been conducted on it. Neither the seller nor the former head of the building had warned him about this.
When cracks began to appear, residents started to gather and appeal to the akimat. At a reception with the akim, they were promised that measures would be taken, and the area was fenced off. However, now the work has stopped, the cladding was simply smeared over, and everything remained as it was. At the reception, they were told that repairing the interiors of apartments requires the unanimous consent of all residents.
“Now our building is of no use to anyone. We are all afraid that when we go to sleep, we might wake up somewhere outside. The building is cracking at the seams. A crack appeared on the bedroom side, about a centimeter wide, the wallpaper split, and I heard it happen. We called the emergency services, they inspected, and in November they installed markers above my apartment—they have cracked. We live like on a powder keg and don't know when something will happen and who will be responsible. If I had known about this situation, I would not have bought this housing. At the meeting after the collapse, I asked the seller why she didn't mention the crack, but she remained silent,” the witness shared.
He also noted that repairs could be a heavy burden on residents: an additional 50–60 thousand to utility bills is a large sum, and 100 thousand a month is unaffordable for many. Residents already have an approximate idea of how much the building repairs will cost.
The witness added that Zhubaniyazova, appointed as the manager, would hardly have had time to do anything before the tragedy. “The condition of the building is critical. In case of a collapse, nothing will help. Every night, cracking sounds are heard,” he concluded.