Noida, Aug 28 (IANS): The illegal twin towers of Noida were demolished on Sunday in a nine second procedure.

The tallest towers to be demolished in the country -- Ceyane (29 floors) and Apex (32 floors) -- were part of the Emerald Court project of Supertech Ltd and were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction.

Demolished via a 'controlled implosion', a lot of preparation had been done to ensure minimal damage to the surroundings.

The residents of the adjacent buildings were moved to safer places. The airspace was closed for about 30 minutes and surface traffic was also diverted.

Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering, hired for the project, carried out the demolition work and master blaster Chetan Dutta pressed the button.

Joe Brinkmann, CEO and managing director of Jet Demolitions, a South Africa-based firm along with Edifice Engineering and others, brought down the twin towers, which was one of the most difficult tasks since the building was strong and built in a seismic zone.

The twin buildings, which comprise 915 flats and are located just nine metres from Emerald Court's Aster-2 apartment block, were fully rigged with explosives and wired up.

Over 5,000 residents of Emerald Court and ATS Village were told to vacate the premises by 7.30 a.m. They will be allowed to return only after safety clearance from the officials is obtained.