Athens: The mayor of Athens on Thursday said construction of a new line for the city's subway network had been halted for safety tests after dozens of residents reported damage to their flats.
Haris Doukas told reporters that "the tunnel boring machine has stopped" in the central district of Kypseli, where residents have reported damage to their buildings beginning in March.
The mayor's office said the discussion had focused "on the cracks and damage that has appeared in 200 apartments in the area, where subway construction works are underway."
"We requested written guarantees regarding the structural adequacy of the buildings and an independent public body to certify that these buildings are structurally sound," Doukas said.
Constructing company Elliniko Metro said the project is being carried "in full compliance with the most modern safety standards related to the execution of tunnelling works in an urban environment."
The company stressed that on the basis of available data and on-site inspections, "no issues pertaining to the structural integrity or any impact on the bearing structure have been detected in any building."
It added that boring in Kypseli had already been suspended in May owing to "unforeseeable and undetectable conditions identified in weak geological subsoil".
The subway line's completion has already been pushed back to 2032 from 2029 originally.
Concerns about the structural integrity of old buildings in the Greek capital have increased after a four-storey block of flats in another Athens district collapsed in June.
The incident was blamed on inadequate support during the construction of an adjacent new building.
