A school building constructed in 1937 in Tatarsk, Novosibirsk Oblast, has tragically collapsed. Fortunately, the incident occurred over the weekend when the school was empty, ensuring there were no casualties. Local residents reported hearing ominous creaks and cracks from the structure for about a week leading up to its collapse. It was planned for the students and teachers of this school to relocate to a new building this year, but construction delays have pushed the completion date to 2026.
School No. 5 in Tatarsk suffered a collapse, with emergency services confirming no injuries to children or staff, as the building was vacant over the weekend. A section of the building on Komissarovskaya Street reportedly caved in within minutes, in full view of eyewitnesses. The Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case for negligence, and the prosecutor`s office has initiated an investigation to ascertain when and by whom the 1937-built school was last renovated. Local residents have affirmed that the almost 90-year-old structure had been audibly creaking for a week before the disaster. Business FM reached out to Alim Inalov, CEO of the construction company «Bautrade,» for his expert comments on the school`s collapse.
«It`s clear that the building is old; it was likely reconstructed in various periods and possibly subjected to additional loads on its structures. There are numerous such constructions across the country, and it`s evident that many of them pose a risk. In 1937, villages and towns didn`t have the technologies to erect buildings with a 100-year operational life. Therefore, I believe there was an oversight here; such structures generally need close monitoring, and ideally, they should all be demolished and rebuilt. You can never predict how a collapse might begin—perhaps some equipment was moved in, a minor repair was attempted, or simply a beam or a lintel cracked somewhere, leading to a domino effect. The initial point of failure isn`t visible, but it appears something started around a window opening on the first floor: either doors or windows, something not entirely clear. The footage shows parts of the structure already having given way. This is not a monolith, which is incredibly difficult to break; such a scenario where one part breaks and the rest just folds doesn`t happen with those. We can`t know its exact condition, how many times it was rebuilt, renovated, or what modifications, like window replacements, were made. It`s evident that the structures were worn out, and the load-bearing walls failed and broke. There`s no comprehensive method to inspect all such buildings and definitively determine which will collapse and which will stand for another decade or two. If the first signs appear, such as cracks or settling, if I were, for example, a facilities manager or director at that school, I would be sounding all alarms. It`s also fortunate that no children were there. If this was happening for a week, I believe it should have been noticed.»
CEO of «Bautrade»
Previously, the administration of the Tatarsk municipal district had announced that the school building was deemed ready to accommodate students at the start of the academic year. However, a local Tatarsk resident and teacher from another school shared with Business FM that School No. 5 was originally scheduled to move into a new facility this year. Due to construction delays, the timeline for the new school`s opening has been postponed to 2026.
— «The school is indeed one of the very first to be built in what was our Tatarsk district, now an urban district. It seems its time has come; they were already planning to close this school. A new building was under construction, and we are looking forward to 2026 for its launch.»
— «Did you specifically contact any of the teachers from that school?»
— «No, no, because I`ve only worked in schools for four years, and I didn`t know anyone in that particular school.»
An anonymous resident from Tatarsk informed Business FM that the entire town was aware of the building`s problems. School No. 5 was meant to move into its new premises this year, but its completion was delayed, pushing the relocation to 2026.
— «So, the new building wasn`t opened for this academic year, even though it`s actively under construction?»
— «No, it wasn`t opened. It’s being built on a swamp. There are already concerns about the soil and how it will settle, causing significant worry. Even the construction-savvy men in our area said before it even began that it was a doomed project. Now they`re seeing confirmation even during the construction phases.»
— «The critical question, then, is on what basis this old building was allowed to operate this academic year?»
— «Because a large crack was `secured` with iron, metallic fasteners—like putting a bandage on appendicitis and hoping it doesn`t burst. That`s literally how it was done. And who permitted this is a huge question. It certainly wasn`t the school administration; this is a matter for the authorities responsible for approving facilities and the individuals who sign documents for these very objects. If we look at the administration`s reports, they are everywhere, taking pictures everywhere, but somehow they apparently didn`t notice this.»
Evgenia, a mother of students at School No. 5, confirmed that classes and extra-curricular activities were still held in the building as late as Friday. Prior to the collapse, she noted that plaster would occasionally fall.
«There were cracks. It`s clear the school is old, built in 1937. As for actual collapses, no, there were only instances of plaster falling, that`s all. Recently, no funds were allocated for repairs at all because a new school began construction. But when it will be completed is unknown, as another school that was under construction for about 20 years before this one was only recently demolished. How the acceptance inspection passed, truly, I`m speechless. It`s just a blessing it was a weekend. It`s terrifying to imagine what could have happened. All the other schools are overcrowded. There`s supposed to be a meeting tomorrow, and they`ve seemingly promised to accommodate everyone in a boarding school, perhaps in one shift.»
Starting September 22nd, all students from the collapsed School No. 5 will be transferred to School No. 9.
