Over 100 people have been forced from their homes by a landslide in Dundee, Scotland, at about 4.00 pm GMT on Monday 30 December 2013. A 40 m section of slope behind a block of tenement flats on Gardener Street collapsed, undermining the properties, and causing several tonnes of earth and debris to pile against a second block of tenements in Lochee Road, 50 m downslope. Nobody was hurt, but authorities evacuated 24 flats in Gardner Street and a further 20 in Lochee Road as a precaution. The situation will now be assessed by the City Engineer.
The site of the 30 December 2013 Dundee Landslide. DC Thompson/Dougie Nicolson/The Courier.
The incident came after several days of heavy rain, which has led to high river levels in the area and the issuing of flood warnings by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. However some residents of the area have linked the incident to a long-standing sewer problem in the area.
The approximate location of the 30 December 2013 Dundee landslide. Google Maps.
See also Fifty meter sinkhole opens up in Peak District, Derbyshire, At least twelve dead as Cyclone Bodil hits northern Europe, Five dead and one missing as western Europe is hit by worst Atlantic Storm in a decade, Woman dies as house destroyed by landslip in Looe, Cornwall and Landslip at Bowleaze Cove, Dorset.
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