2023-09-13 01:17:35
More than 200 people were evacuated from four buildings in the Viña del Mar resort, on the central coast of Chile, faced with the risk of collapse due to a sinkhole of large dimensions caused by the rains last weekend.
“(I’m going) to try to rent a smaller apartment and speed up the administrative and judicial procedures to see if we can return to the place,” Antonio Gausi, one of the neighbors affected by the emergency, told AFP on Tuesday.
Various architects and experts have denounced the fact that construction was allowed on such unstable ground and point out that the solution should be the demolition of the building, with apartments with valuable greater than 600,000 euros.
The buildings were built on dunes, something that has generated criticisme local authorities and experts.
A month ago another sinkhole opened a few meters after a frontal system.
A second large sinkhole forced about 200 people to evacuate. Photo EFE
An apartment in the affected buildings can cost about $390,000.
“Building on a dune system is a delicate situation”explained the Chilean Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, about the causes of the displacement of land.
He added that repairs could take at least eight months.
The sinkhole caused by the rains on the side of the Kandinsky and Miramar buildings, which had already been affected by a collapse weeks ago, in Viña del Mar (Chile). Photo EFE
According to local authorities, eight millimeters of water fell on Sunday in just half an hour, a rare meteorological event that occurs every 10 years.
The local head of Public Works, Yanino Riquelme, admitted the failure of the mitigation works while the presidential delegate of Valparaíso, Sofía González, pointed out that the evacuation was preventive and a more in-depth study is awaiting to evaluate the steps. to follow.
#people #evacuated #due #huge #sinkhole #coast #Viña #del #Mar