AKIPRESS.COM - In ten seconds an entire Chinese city block was turned into a gray haze of dust and rubble, with the help of 4500kg of explosives, reports South China Morning Post.

The demolition flattened 19 buildings, some of which were 12-storey high, in the city of Wuhan, in the country’s center.

The residential units were obliterated at 11.50pm on Saturday to make room for a new business district which includes a 707-metre-high skyscraper.

The buildings were lit up by spotlights as a team triggered the explosives only milliseconds apart.

Blasting director Jia Yongsheng said the outcome was "quite ideal".

"The explosion didn't affect the light rail and public facilities around the blasted buildings," he said.

"For this kind of large-scale blasting demolition conducted in the downtown area, we not only need to guarantee the demolition result, but also strictly control the adverse effects of blasting."