The Collapse

The tremors lasted for three to five minutes. The room shook violently in the first few minutes before petering off.

People started collecting themselves when some of the lights came back on.

The second level they were in was in total shambles. There were multiple cave-ins, and wall installments littered the floor in pieces. Simple constructions collapsed under the pressure, and most worryingly, cracks began appearing on the floor.

This was not the cave’s natural flooring. It was reinforced cement flooring that had passed stringent quality control. The fact that it started cracking was an alarming testament to how strong the earthquake was.