Tashkent Explains Causes of Construction Pit Collapse

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Violations of construction technology, occupational safety and workplace safety requirements, as well as a project design that placed a new building closer to a neighboring residential block than permitted, contributed to the collapse of a construction pit on Beruni Street in Tashkent's Almazar district, the Tashkent city administration told Gazeta.uz.

The incident occurred at a hotel apartment project located at 102 Beruni Street (formerly No. 43) in the Orzu mahalla. The developer is Donmah-Imex LLC, the designer is Aleks Project LLC and the contractor is Lost Planet LLC.

As previously reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, the edge of the excavation pit and a nearby temporary fence collapsed at the construction site on Sunday. One person was injured and hospitalized. A criminal case has been opened.

According to the city administration, an inspection found that the construction company failed to comply with required excavation methods and safety regulations during the excavation work. As a result, the soil shifted and the temporary fence fell into the pit.

The inspection also identified shortcomings in the urban planning and design documentation. Under the approved project, the distance between the construction site and an existing nine-storey residential building is 12 metres, while current urban planning standards require a minimum distance of 15 metres.

The administration also said the project failed to take into account that the site was too small to excavate the pit with sloped sides.

Creating such slopes would have required an additional five metres around the perimeter of the site, affecting nearly half of the internal road leading to the residential area. As a result, the pit was excavated with vertical walls instead of the sloped sides specified in the project.

According to the city administration, this excavation method required the walls of the pit to be reinforced with reinforced concrete piles, a retaining wall or other engineering structures. However, these measures were not implemented in a timely manner or in full, leading to the soil movement.

Specialists from Qishloqqurilishloyiha LLC, Ogirsanoatloyiha JSC and the UzGASHKLITI research institute are currently developing technical solutions to reinforce the excavation walls, eliminate the consequences of the incident and ensure the safe continuation of construction.

The Tashkent city administration said the site had previously been used by Secondary School No. 243. In May 2020, the territorial department of the Agency for State Assets Management, the school and Donmah-Imex LLC signed a sale and purchase agreement with investment obligations, and the property was registered in the company's name in August 2022.

According to the administration, permission to reconstruct the existing buildings and construct additional facilities was issued in November 2023, while the architectural planning assignment was approved in December of the same year.

The working body of the Architecture and Urban Planning Council approved the building's location and parameters in February 2025. A positive state expert review was issued in January 2026, and the territorial inspectorate for construction and housing and utilities registered the project on 19 February 2026.

Anhor.uz reported that documents related to the land plot indicate that the former educational facility was sold to the private company without an open auction. The publication said the available documents do not clarify on what basis the property was sold to Donmah-Imex LLC, how the buyer was selected or how much the company paid for the building and land.

According to Anhor.uz, it is also unclear what investment obligations the company assumed, how compliance with those obligations was monitored, and why the former educational facility was designated for the construction of hotel apartments. The publication said it had requested the sale agreement, property valuation materials, payment terms, details of the investment obligations and documents confirming their fulfilment from the relevant state authorities.

The Tashkent city administration previously said that, on the instructions of the city's mayor, a special commission comprising representatives of the emergency situations department, the construction inspectorate, the prosecutor's office, the Almazar district administration and other relevant agencies had been established. The area has been cordoned off, and specialists continue to inspect the surrounding area, utility networks and road infrastructure.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the criminal case is being investigated under Articles 257 (violation of occupational safety rules) and 192-11 (abuse of authority by officials of a non-governmental organisation) of Uzbekistan's Criminal Code.