Two women injured and fifteen others evacuated after a flat collapsed in Badalona

Badalona / BarcelonaA 71-year-old woman and her 40-year-old daughter were injured when part of the floor of their home, a first-floor apartment on Virgen de Lourdes Street in Badalona, collapsed shortly after 10:30 a.m. The poor condition of the beams brought down the first-floor formwork and created a hole between three and four meters in the kitchen. The elderly woman, who was having breakfast in this room at the time, fell to the floor below, which fortunately was empty. The daughter was injured after trying to help her mother and father, who were also in the apartment. "Otherwise, they would both have fallen," she told ARA. The victims were treated at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, where the mother remains hospitalized with "considerable injuries."

The emergency call came in at 10:47 a.m. "We came with the idea that there might be people trapped, but fortunately everyone was able to get out safely," explained Roger Llinàs, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Northern Emergency Region of the Fire Department. The force had to evacuate the rest of the building, which municipal services and the Fire Department's specialists in collapsed structures deemed "uninhabitable" after observing the condition of the beams of the affected roof. In fact, they stated that the cause is "pathological" and that the damage to the building is "significant."

Llinàs pointed out that it is an old building, from the 1960s, and "probably made of aluminous cement." This would have caused the structure to be greatly weakened by moisture over the years until it collapsed. "We cannot remain in this building until a complete damage assessment is carried out and the building's habitability is assessed," he added. From then on, the remaining people inside the building, about fifteen tenants, were evicted.

Complaints about the owner's "negligence"

"I was sleeping, and suddenly the firefighters started banging on the door because they were evacuating the building. I just had time to get dressed and leave," explains one of the residents on the floor, who preferred to remain anonymous. He complained that the building, which belongs to a single owner, according to municipal sources, suffered from constant "neglect" on the part of the owner. "The owners were fully aware of the cracks and constant water leaks, and all they did was bring a couple of people to do squalid repairs," the resident himself complained.

Among other complaints, the residents' association notes that "three or four years ago" they noticed the poor condition of some beams when a hole was made in the ceiling of one of the hallways for cosmetic renovations. In fact, other neighbors and people close to them with whom ARA has been able to speak, such as a relative of the two victims who came to the scene, corroborate this neglect. "All the apartments have maintenance problems, and some neighbors have been reporting problems related to damp for a year," she said.

The building has twelve apartments, four per floor, and three were empty at the time of the collapse. Badalona City Council's Social Services have assisted 29 people, of whom only three have requested emergency accommodation. The Social Urgency and Emergency Center (CUESB) has been activated so they can spend the night. "We don't know what we'll do when we can't spend any more nights there," said one of those affected, uncertain about when he'll be able to return home. The rest of the building's residents have a place to stay.

According to City Hall sources, care for those affected will continue on Thursday at the La Salut Civic Center—less than a kilometer from the scene—and in the coming days, municipal technicians will prepare a report on the building's condition. From there, it will be up to the owner to carry out the necessary work to restore the building's security, as well as present the corresponding certificate from an architect attesting to this.

Recovery of personal belongings

Starting at 3:20 p.m., the Fire Department lifted the seal on the building to allow residents to enter and retrieve essential belongings. They only allowed one person per home—accompanied by an officer—with a flashlight, as the services had been cut off and everything was dark. "We took clothes, important documents, and money," explains Dani, a resident of 1st 3a. His mother was in charge of accessing the apartment to retrieve these essential items. "They recommended that we have an alternative in case we can't return," he adds. For now, they will spend the night at the home of some acquaintances.

Shortly before 5:00 p.m., the Fire Department sealed off the building again. Even so, three City Police officers had to remain guarding the entrance to the building while waiting for a locksmith to repair the lock on the main door, which, according to several residents, had been broken for "more than a year."