The Government, on compensating those affected by the L9 sinkhole: "We will do what it takes"

A week after the incident, the residents of the 93 apartments in the Sant Gervasi - la Bonanova neighborhood continue to be evacuated and will not be able to return to their homes until at least Friday. The Minister of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, has not ruled out compensation for the residents and shopkeepers affected by the sinkhole caused by the works on line L9 of the metro in Barcelona. In an interview with Els matins on TV3, the minister stated that they will do "whatever it takes," after being asked about possible compensation. "It is evident that the residents bear no responsibility," she said.

Paneque assured that the Generalitat and the City Council will continue to assume the rehousing of those affected and stated that afterwards "there will be time to determine responsibilities." She insisted that the priority is to guarantee the return of residents to their homes with "the highest safety standards." As she detailed, sensors show ground stabilization, but technicians continue to analyze building by building and the state of the ground beneath the buildings to check for any further cavities that could pose a risk.

Regarding the causes of the sinkhole, the minister points out that the main hypothesis is that a cavity generated during drilling did not receive an "adequate injection" of concrete at the time, which would have ended up surfacing. However, she stressed that the investigation remains open and asked for "prudence" until technicians establish the definitive causes. Experts consulted by ARA pointed to the possibility that, due to some incident, the tunnel boring machine had generated what is known as a chimney.

Regarding the works on line L9, the spokesperson for the Government also explained that the tunnel boring machine continues to operate, but alternates periods of activity and stoppage depending on daily technical inspections. As indicated, the machine stops during checks so that there are no noises that alter the results, while on other occasions it is "advancing more slowly than it would normally until it reaches the point where a technical stop and review was already planned." Finally, Paneque has ruled out modifying the pending route of the L9 and has defended that the construction system used is safe.

67 people continue to stay in hotels

From the City Council, the deputy mayors Maria Eugènia Gay and Albert Batlle have also reviewed the municipal management one week after the sinkhole. In a press conference, they explained that currently there are 67 residents from the eight affected blocks who are sleeping in hotels in the surrounding area. Neither Gay nor Batlle, however, wanted to speculate on when the residents could return to their homes, scheduled - if all goes well - from this Friday. "The safety of the residents continues to be our absolute priority", both remarked.