The Government assumes that those affected by the L9 sinkhole will need to be compensated: "We will do what it takes"

BarcelonaA week after the incident, residents of the 93 apartments in the Sant Gervasi - la Bonanova neighborhood remain 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 residents and merchants affected by the sinkhole caused by the works on line L9 of the metro in Barcelona. In an interview on "Els matins" on TV3, the minister stated that they will do "whatever it takes," after being asked about possible compensation. "It is clear that the residents have no responsibility in this," 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" and to face "everything that needs to be done to compensate for the loss of economic activity or the expenses arising from the rehousing of the residents."

The minister insisted that the priority is to guarantee the return of residents to their homes with "the highest safety standards." As she detailed, the sensors show a stabilization of the ground, but technicians continue to analyze building by building and the condition of the ground beneath the buildings to verify that there are no 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 the drilling did not receive an "injection sufficient" of concrete at the time, which would have ended up surfacing. Nevertheless, 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, Paneque explained that the tunnel boring machine continues to operate, but alternates periods of activity and stoppage depending on daily technical inspections. As she indicated, the machine stops during checks so that there are no noises that alter the results, while on other occasions "it advances more slowly than it would normally until it reaches the point where a technical stop and review was already planned." Finally, Paneque ruled out modifying the pending route of L9 and defended that the construction system used is safe.

Merchants' notice

Precisely, the Government and the City Council held a meeting this Tuesday with the businesses that have been closed since Tuesday. A meeting in which those affected considered the administrations' explanations insufficient. "No answers at all," lamented Miquel Santamarta, manager of the Sant Gervasi restaurant, who assured that those affected still do not know how to claim damages or when they will receive aid. The shopkeepers described the meeting as "tense" and called for urgent measures to be able to face the payment of salaries, taxes, and other expenses arising from the closure of businesses.

"What they have explained to us today is that Barcelona Activa is available to give us support and advice," detailed Alba Barreras, owner of the Dental Barreras clinic, who lamented that this is the only new development they have been announced this Tuesday. Those affected expected to leave the meeting with a roadmap on the procedures for claiming economic damages, but they assure that this has not happened. "They don't know anything, they have no answers for anything, they have to look into everything," criticized Santamarta. Furthermore, the residents have criticized that they still do not know which insurance company to direct their claims to, even though the Generalitat assures them that several insurance policies are active.

67 people continue in hotels

From the City Council, deputy mayors Maria Eugènia Gay and Albert Batlle have also reviewed the municipal management a week after the sinkhole. In a press conference, they explained that a total of 300 residents have been affected, of whom 67 are currently sleeping in hotels around the area. Neither Gay nor Batlle, however, wanted to speculate on when the residents could return to their homes, planned - if all goes well - from this Friday. "The safety of the residents continues to be our absolute priority," both remarked.

In the afternoon, during the Urbanism commission, the municipal opposition groups have demanded that the municipal government act with "maximum exigency" before the Generalitat in the case of the sinkhole, and that it forward all the information it obtains to the parties. They also reproached it for not paying enough attention to the warnings from the residents, who in the weeks prior to the incident had already warned that cracks had appeared in nearby streets and their buildings.