What could have been a tragedy seems to have been a great scare after a five-story apartment building in the heart of Teruel collapsed this morning minutes after being evicted on the run. Fortunately, there have been no injuries.
According to the first information, some neighbors had alerted the Local Police and Fire Department this morning that they heard some suspicious noises and creaks in the building. After going to the place, the immediate evacuation of all its residents as well as those of two adjoining buildings was ordered.
Shortly after the last neighbor left, when they were analyzing the situation to prop him up, the building collapsed in a matter of seconds without a single trace of his skeleton left standing, as recorded by some cameras.
"We have come quickly and we have begun to evacuate when we see how the foundations were, that they were broken," said Ángel Loras, inspector of the Teruel Local Police, to regional television. "Just at the moment of removing the last person, the "The structure has completely collapsed. There are no victims and nobody misses anyone," he added.
The speed of this action has been essential to avoid injuries. Moments after the collapse, the agents and the neighbors remained in the vicinity full of dust and the tension was evident in this central street in Teruel, where the tenants, safe, hugged and cried.
Teresa, one of the evicted neighbors, told Aragón TV that the noises had already alerted her early in the morning. “She lived on the first floor and since 7:00 in the morning I have started to hear noises. I went out later and I have seen how the president alerted all the neighbors. There were settlement cracks in the building, but she hadn't noticed anything unusual in the last few days,” she noted.
Another of the neighbors recounted how the building fell just after he was able to get his car out of the garage. “We have gone from sitting to having nothing. We have gone with what we are wearing, ”he said.
The collapsed five-story building was 49 years old, and some media suggest that the collapse would be related to the heavy rains recorded in recent days, including yesterday, in the capital of Teruel.
The Teruel City Council has indicated that the causes of the incident will be investigated and that people who have had to leave their homes will be rehoused. It has also made an information telephone number available to those affected: 689 11 67 58
