A Large Sinkhole Opens in Barcelona, Residents of Five Apartment Buildings Evacuated

On Tuesday morning, a large sinkhole about nine meters in diameter opened in Barcelona’s Sant Gervasí-La Bonanova neighborhood, prompting authorities to evacuate residents from five apartment buildings for safety reasons.

According to the authorities, the ground collapse occurred in the courtyard of a residential complex near the area where work is being carried out to expand metro line L9. Six fire engines were immediately dispatched to the scene, while technical teams began filling the hole with concrete to stabilize the ground and prevent danger to nearby buildings.

The head of the Barcelona Fire Department said the evacuation of residents was carried out as a precautionary measure and that the area is being kept under constant observation to detect any new ground movement.

The residents evacuated from their homes were temporarily housed in a local center, while authorities also set up an information point to keep them informed about developments in the situation.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the ground collapse may be linked to the work being carried out in the area, although there is still no final confirmation from the authorities. It has also not yet been announced when residents will be allowed to return to their homes.

According to technicians, this incident is not the same as the major collapse that occurred in the Carmel neighborhood in 2005. They stressed that the metro tunnel in this area has already been built and that the line continues to operate normally, while instrument data have recorded an increase in vertical ground movements, which raises suspicions that the collapse is linked to the work to expand line L9.

Residents said they had noticed cracks in their apartments for days. One woman said that four days earlier a long crack had appeared from the ceiling to the floor and that the door of her apartment no longer closed as it had before.

The same resident also described the moment of the collapse, saying that at around 09:00 she heard two loud noises accompanied by tremors, while about an hour later firefighters asked residents to leave the building.

An employee of a pizzeria near the scene also said that when she opened the premises in the morning, she noticed that the back part had collapsed and that the bathroom had been swallowed by the sinkhole.