A sinkhole in Putxet due to L9 works forces the evacuation of five buildings: "The hole has swallowed the entire bathroom"

BarcelonaA major scare this morning in the Putxet neighborhood of Barcelona. A sinkhole eight meters in diameter and four meters deep, caused by the works on Line 9 of the metro, has forced the evacuation of five buildings on Rubinstein and Teodora Lamadrid streets. The incident did not cause injuries, but it did force the evacuation of about twenty residents who were at the time in the apartments around the interior courtyard where the sinkhole occurred.

As explained by Laura Carrasco, head of Geotechnics and Underground Works for the Department of Territory, early this morning, from the L9 construction site, an increase in vertical movements was detected in the sensors installed in buildings and elements in the area. From there, technicians and firefighters began an inspection that detected the sinkhole and led to the evacuation of the residents in the five affected blocks.

One of the first to see the sinkhole was the administrator of the pizzeria Verona, at number 3 Teodora Lamadrid street, Domingo Fínez. He explains that when he opened the shop's shutter, he saw something strange in the bathroom and thought he had left the light on. When he opened the door, he explains, he found that the sinkhole had swallowed the entire bathroom. "We are in shock," he said, and celebrated that fortunately there was no one else in the premises at that time.

The ghost of Carmel

Although the memory of the Carmel events twenty years ago has quickly reverberated in Putxet, the head of Geotechnics and Underground Works of the Department of Territory has ruled out that they are comparable cases. Carrasco explained that it is a "totally different" situation because the construction system has nothing to do with it. In this regard, she explained that the same system makes it impossible for the sinkhole to deepen further. "This cavity can no longer evolve in depth," she said.

Specifically, the tunnel boring machine that is digging the central section of L9 leaves behind a metallic shield in the shape of a cylinder that serves as "provisional support" until the definitive tunnel is put in place. This, she said, means that "there can be no collapses over the shield." Carrasco added, moreover, that the tunnel boring machine has already passed about ten meters beyond the area of the affected buildings and has continued to operate. Almost at the same time, the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque, appeared at the press conference following the usual Tuesday Executive Council and specified that the works had stopped shortly after. Paneque explained that "the necessary checks are being carried out before making new decisions," and emphasized that now "the priority is to guarantee people's safety."

While the five affected buildings continue to be examined, the firefighters have also begun the work of refilling the sinkhole with concrete to stabilize the area. The head of the Barcelona Fire Brigade, Sebastià Massagué, explained that this is a job that "could take time" and he did not want to commit to a deadline for when residents could return to their homes.

Residents report cracks for days

Among the twenty or so evacuated residents was Mercedes, who works in an office on the mezzanine of one of the affected buildings on Rubinstein street. She explains to ARA that, between 9:30 and 10 in the morning, a worker from the L9 construction site asked them if they had noticed any damage. It was then that she realized that a door wouldn't close and that the floor had lifted. After a while, the firefighters asked them to evacuate the building.

Teresa was also at home when the sinkhole occurred. She explains that around nine in the morning she was in her room in the building at 5 Teodora Lamadrid street when she heard a loud noise. "As if it were thundering, but in a closed space," she describes. Immediately, she explains, the firefighters called her to leave the house, with just enough time to shower quickly, grab her medication, and leave. After a while, her daughter Maite arrived, who took her to her house while they wait for news about when they can return.

The residents, many of whom took refuge in the Sant Gervasi Market—just in front of the affected buildings—report that for days the tunnel boring machine's work had been causing some problems. Mari Carmen, for example, explains that in her garage (in a building not affected for now) cracks have been appearing for days. Mercedes also explains that a few days ago a section of the sidewalk on Sant Gervasi de Cassoles was also raised. An incident that, she says, they already linked to the construction work.

Although at one point a space was set up in the market to assist residents, the Barcelona Social Emergency and Urgency Center (CUESB) later opened an assistance point at the Vil·la Florida Civic Center. There, evacuated residents who request it will be assisted, as well as those who may have been away from home when the incident occurred and who cannot return for the moment.