A lucky escape for several people yesterday when a house in calle Del Rio, Torre del Mar, collapsed around them.
At around 15:30, two employees of the Hermanos Alcántara construction company were working in calle Del Rio when they heard a strange noise, akin to the sound of cracking wood, and decided to beat a hasty retreat from the area.
They then watched as the fronts of houses numbered 4 and 6 collapsed and caused the roof to cave in. Fortunately, the two houses were unoccupied and no-one was injured in the incident. The collapse also affected the house next door, number 8 calle Del Rio, damaging both the roof and the facade and the occupants were evacuated as a precautionary measure. One of those living at number 8, an 84 year old woman, was badly shaken by the event and was attended by the Emergency Services.
The mayor of Torre del Mar, Francisco Delgado, and deputy mayor Antonio López Rosique went to the scene of the accident to see what had happened and to check on the families. National Police, Local Police and firefighters then proceeded to shore-up the building.
Technicians are studying the building to try and determine the cause of the collapse. Although too early to determine exactly what happened, the Chief Fire Officer believes it could have been the result of badly damaged joists. Also not being discounted is the possibility that the heavy rains may have contributed to the accident, especially combined with the fact that the workmen were actually digging a dirty great big hole right outside the house at the time.