Washington monument closed indefinitely due to cracks
August 24th, 2011 - 10:30 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattWashington, Aug 24 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Washington Monument has been closed indefinitely after engineers reported a crack on the structure. Following the 5.8 earthquake that struck on Tuesday, the engineers carried out safety test on the monument and found that it has suffered a crack.
Unconfirmed reports say the structure was tilting as the quake struck. Officials say after the check they found a crack at the very top of the monument. The park officials have also announced that the plaza surrounding the monument will be closed to the public for unspecified period of time as further tests are carried on it.
Several other locations in the areas affected by the quake including The Lincoln and the Jefferson Memorials have been closed down. Non essential workers at the Office of Personnel Management were asked to take a day off on Wednesday as the full extent of damage is accessed.
A 5.8 quake rattled Virginia on Tuesday. The quake was felt in several other places including New York and Washington. Though the quake was relatively strong and capable of causing widespread damage, minimal damage and no injury have been confirmed.
An earthquake followed by a tsunami in Japan at the beginning of the year resulted in the death of more than 25,000 people. The quake measured 9.0 and it is considered the fourth strongest quake in the history of the planet.
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- US escapes Japan tsunami, says Obama (Lead) - Mar 12, 2011
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Japan's earthquake-proof buildings helped limit damage - Mar 12, 2011
- China offers aid to quake- hit Japan - Mar 12, 2011
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Tags: crack, cracks, earthquake, full extent, jefferson memorials, lincoln, minimal damage, office of personnel, office of personnel management, park officials, period of time, quake, safety test, tsunami, tsunami in japan, washington monument