(Viña del Mar) More than 200 people were evacuated from four buildings in the resort town of Viña del Mar, on Chile’s central coast, following a major landslide caused by intense rains, reports announced the authorities of the Valparaiso region.
The images show buildings, some 17 stories high, facing the ocean on the edge of a cliff. A road, located at the foot of two buildings, on the ocean side, has partly disappeared due to the landslide which occurred in the early hours of Monday.
The evacuated buildings were built on dunes, sparking criticism from local authorities and experts. A month ago, another landslide occurred nearby.
“Building on dunes is a delicate thing,” admitted Jessica Lopez, the Chilean Minister of Public Works during a press conference earlier this week.
“I will try to rent a smaller apartment and speed up the administrative and legal procedures to see if we can re-enter the premises,” Antonio Gausi, one of the evacuated residents who had just moved in, told AFP on Tuesday. just a month ago.
According to local authorities, up to eight millimeters of water fell in just half an hour on Sunday, a rare meteorological event.
Viña del Mar is a seaside resort located 120 km from the capital Santiago. An apartment in the evacuated buildings can cost up to US$390,000.