Two apartment buildings on Nice's rue Dabray were evacuated overnight Monday into Tuesday after cracks and structural disorders appeared, forcing 15 residents from their homes and prompting the city to halt a neighbouring construction project.
An on-call city engineer was dispatched to the scene Monday evening after cracks were spotted on the buildings at numbers 24 and 26, in the Libération district. Twelve apartments were affected. Residents were first sheltered at the AnimaNice Notre-Dame community centre before 13 were relocated to hotels, with the remaining two staying with family. The city ordered an immediate halt to construction at an adjacent site, where developer Logirem has been building a 24-unit social housing block since 2023, work suspected of possibly contributing to the structural issues.
Mayor Éric Ciotti visited the site Tuesday morning, calling the disorders potentially linked to the nearby foundation works. An expert assessment is expected within fifteen days to determine the cause and scope of the damage, with the buildings barred to residents until the situation is resolved.