Hundred house hotel

Preventing the 88-meter-deep (290 feet) pit from flooding was among the chief challenges for engineers working on the swanky 336-room InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, part of a $288 million development that also includes a theme park. The hotel, which is one of a growing number of bold architectural designs springing up in China, hugs one side of the pit wall, with a waterfall cascading down the opposite face. The subterranean 17-floor hotel is about an hour's drive from the centre of Shanghai, with room charges starting at 3,394 yuan ($490) a night. There is a floor of suites below the water level, but don't expect to gaze directly into the depths of Shenkeng Quarry -- the windows are instead buffered by large fish tanks. "Why do we say there is nothing in the world that compares to the quarry hotel project?" Chen Xiaoxiang, chief engineer with the real estate giant, Shimao Property, said to AFP. "It’s a project that's completely new, a project we have never encountered … [Read more...] about This place is the pits: China opens luxury hotel in quarry

Authorities expected the toll to rise sharply on Sunday as news arrives from remote areas. Dozens of people were reported to be still trapped in the rubble of a hotel in the city of Palu, which was hit by waves as high as six metres (18 feet) following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Hundreds had gathered for a festival on the city's beach when the wall of water smashed onshore at dusk on Friday, sweeping many to their deaths and destroying anything in its path. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was scheduled to visit evacuation centres in the city on Sunday. The Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Willem Rampangilei, told reporters in Sulawesi late on Saturday that the death toll from Palu had reached 420 people, according to news website Kompas. "It's estimated that 10,000 refugees are scattered in 50 points in Palu city," he was quoted by Kompas as saying. "We are having difficulty deploying heavy equipment to find victims under the rubble of buildings because many … [Read more...] about Toll seen rising after Indonesian quake, tsunami kills hundreds

Most of the victims were on the northern side of Lombok, near the epicentre of the 6.9 magnitude quake that hit in the early evening of Sunday. Two people died on the neighbouring island of Bali, agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. He said the death toll was expected to rise further as more data became available. "Data collection continues and (rescue) efforts are still ongoing," Nugroho told a news conference, adding that there were no foreigners among the victims so far. At least 209 people were injured. The earthquake triggered widespread panic as thousands fled their homes for emergency shelters as buildings collapsed. Singapore Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who was on the 10th floor of a hotel in the Lombok town of Mataram at the time of the quake, wrote on Facebook that his room shook violently and walls cracked. “It was quite impossible to stand up. Heard screams. Came out, and made my way down a staircase, while building was still shaking. Power went … [Read more...] about Indonesia raises Lombok quake death toll to 91

The earthquake triggered widespread panic as thousands fled their homes for emergency shelters as buildings collapsed. The death toll is expected to rise with hundreds injured and thousands of houses damaged, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in a statement on Monday. Singapore Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who was on the 10th floor of a hotel in the Lombok town of Mataram at the time of the quake, wrote on Facebook that his room shook violently and walls cracked. “It was quite impossible to stand up. Heard screams. Came out, and made my way down a staircase, while building was still shaking. Power went out for a while. Lots of cracks, fallen doors,” he wrote. Most of the victims were killed by falling rubble in northern and western parts of Lombok. An initial tsunami warning of waves of up to half a metre was issued following the quake but later withdrawn. Lombok was hit by another powerful 6.4 quake a week earlier on July 29, killing 17 people and … [Read more...] about Powerful quake kills 82 on Indonesia’s Lombok island, thousands flee homes

The shallow 6.4-magnitude quake jolted the island in the early morning, sending people running outside in panic and triggering landslides on popular mountain hiking routes. Scores of aftershocks sparked fear among survivors. More than 120 were recorded, the biggest with a magnitude of 5.7, Indonesia's meteorology agency said. Local officials have declared a three day state emergency, according to multiple television reports. "Thirteen people have died, hundreds of people were injured and thousands of homes were damaged in the earthquake in East Lombok. We are still collecting data," Indonesian disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement. One Malaysian was killed and six injured, the Malaysian foreign ministry said. "All of them were at the foot of Mount Rinjani when the incident happened," it said. The constant aftershocks sparked terrified shouts among scores of people made homeless in the eastern village of Sembalun, an AFP reporter said. Some 200 … [Read more...] about Strong quake kills 13, injures hundreds, on Indonesia holiday island