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Gralhix #014 · Hard · Investigated: 21 September 2026

The night camera

Question
Which city and building is the CCTV frame from? What event happened on that date, and how large was it?
Result
Chișinău, V-Continental business centre (bd. Dimitrie Cantemir 5/4) · 24 September 2016 Vrancea earthquake: ML 5.3 · Mw 5.5 · 92 km

Step by step

  1. 01

    Text in the frame

    Timestamp 24/09/2016 02:19:14. “Terminal 3” is only a camera label, not proof of an airport.

  2. 02

    The tower: Atrium

    The striped tower in the back matches the tower on Atrium's official site. The bright low building is not Atrium.

  3. 03

    Camera building

    V-Continental's official contact page gives the address; bearings and distances to three buildings to the south were measured on satellite imagery.

  4. 04

    Official earthquake report

    INFP report: local time 02:11:20, Vrancea, ML 5.3, Mw 5.5, 92 km; felt in Moldova. The first automatic alert said 6.0.

Calculations

  • Atrium 402.5 m · 137.7°, Grand Hall 324.5 m · 163.3°, Hotel Cosmos 357.6 m · 172.0°.

Limits

  • The camera's exact spot and angle on the building were not measured. The camera clock is unverified, so the 7 min 54 s gap is not used as evidence.

Sources

Exercises: Sofia Santos / Gralhix. Analysis and walkthrough: Ahmet Göker. Screenshots and photos remain the property of their owners.