The return home of the neighbours of the L9 sinkhole is postponed for at least one week

BarcelonaThe eviction of residents from the eight affected blocks is extended due to last Tuesday's sinkhole, caused by the works on metro line L9. The general director of Infrastructure of the Generalitat, Ramon Ramírez, has explained that the technicians have recommended carrying out new checks on the state of the land beneath the buildings where the hole occurred and, for this reason, the residents will not be able to return to their homes at least until Friday of next week. The possibility of them returning this Saturday is thus ruled out.

Ramírez has assured that the evolution of the ground movement controls caused by the passage of the L9 tunnel boring machine is being "very positive". "We are very calm", he said, but added that for a matter of "maximum safety", and with the agreement of the different experts and administrations involved, it has been decided to carry out an extra "check" of the land under the affected buildings. For next Friday, the situation will be re-evaluated and the next steps will be decided, thus opening the door to extending the rehousing of residents again.

"Let's not rush," has limited himself to saying the third deputy mayor of Barcelona, Albert Batlle. While he has acknowledged that they are in contact with the hotel sector in case accommodation needs to be offered to those affected, he has also made it clear that so far there has been no housing emergency alert resulting from the incident. "Depending on how the next seven days unfold, we will make the appropriate decisions," he insisted.

In parallel, the investigation continues to clarify the causes of the accident, although the Government currently rejects speculating with hypotheses. "We will not speculate on the causes of the incident, they are being evaluated," Ramírez summarized to justify the lack of specifics. Experts consulted by ARA pointed to the possibility that, due to some type of incident, the tunnel boring machine had generated a phenomenon known as a chimney.

What could have happened, according to this theory, is that the machine began to swallow more earth than necessary and ended up creating a void that grew vertically above it, which could have caused the sinkhole. The same experts pointed to the uncertainty about how the ground between the tunnel – at a depth of 40 meters – and the surface of the sinkhole, which has a depth of 4 meters, is. "It is key to know how these 36 meters are," they warned.

"Right now, we are not as concerned with analyzing causes as with resolving the situation," Ramírez said in statements this Friday. He explained, however, that the tunnel boring machine has not stopped or ceased working at any time, but that it is now advancing at "minimum speed" to be able to get out from under the affected homes with "absolute control." "All movement monitoring systems are very positive," he reiterated.

From the City Council, they assure that the "coverage" and "support" for the affected people will be maintained at all times. Batlle has guaranteed the "full availability" of both the teams from the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district and the Firefighters, Civil Protection, and the Barcelona Social Emergency and Urgent Care Center (CUESB), where – he admitted – the required attention has been "little." Likewise, he also offered the necessary technical and logistical advice to the commercial sector of the area – there are several affected commercial premises –, whether with issues related to insurance, permits, or the suspension of tax payments.