Third building near collapsed Badalona apartment block evacuated over safety concerns

Anxiety is increasing on Canigó street in Badalona.

In less than 24 hours, two more apartment blocks close to the building that collapsed on February 6, a tragedy that resulted in the death of three people, have been evacuated over safety concerns.

On Wednesday morning, another apartment block was evacuated; the third after families left on adjacent building on Tuesday, and the other adjacent building was evacuated last week. Cracks had appeared in the two buildings adjacent to the one that collapsed. 

The building that collapsed in early February was located at number 9 on Canigó street. Number 7 was the first to be evacuated after a crack appeared, followed by number 11 on Tuesday and number 5 on Wednesday.

The decision to empty the flats was taken at the beginning of the technical inspections being carried out by a company hired urgently by the Badalona council. 

The council contracted the services of a specialized company to carry out inspections of 420 homes on the block of Canigó, Llefià and Ausias Marc streets in the wake of the tragedy.

Municipal and company technicians are planning to meet on Wednesday to analyze the situation and outline the action strategy.

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but I want the neighbors to be calm," mayor Xavier Garcia Albiol explained, who also admitted there was some "anxiety" about the situation. 

One resident affected at number 5 was Soledad Fernández. The authorities put up tape preventing access, she explained. "I can't go and collect what I need, the deeds, clothes. And my husband is ill."

She said she was "scared" but at the same time "grateful" for the fact that they were moved out before anything more serious happened.