El Putxet woke up today to that strange stillness that often precedes the unexpected events that disrupt the rhythm of a neighborhood. Shortly before 11:00 a.m., earthworks related to the construction of Metro Line 9 disrupted the tranquility of the area, forcing the emergency evacuation of five buildings located between Rubinstein and Teodora Lamadrid streets. The alert came from the construction workers themselves after they detected abnormal vibrations in the buildings they monitor constantly.
The cause of the alarm was a cavity eight meters in diameter and four meters deep that unexpectedly opened up, swallowing the inner courtyard and a small storage room belonging to a local business. Six units from the Barcelona Fire Department, patrols from the Guardia Urbana, and social services teams have been dispatched to the scene to secure the area and assist those affected. At this time, the Barcelona City Council has confirmed that there are no reported injuries.
The scare for affected residents and businesses
The impact of the collapse—reminiscent of the historic and tragic Carmel disaster—was strongly felt on the ground floors of the affected buildings. The most critical point is located at Pizzeria Verona on Teodora Lamadrid Street. Its manager, Domingo Fine, recounted—visibly shaken—how he discovered the disaster at the start of his workday: upon opening the door to the restaurant, he was met with an unexpected brightness and saw that the restroom and the establishment’s patio had completely collapsed.
Fear quickly spread to neighboring businesses and homes. At the Institut Dental Barreras, located on Rubinstein Street, employees explained that when they arrived in the morning, they discovered fresh cracks in the walls, forcing them to rush out onto the street, leaving even their personal belongings behind. Accounts from local residents agree that strange signs were already visible during the night, such as cracks in the marble in the bathrooms or doors that had suddenly stopped fitting into their frames.
Community Awareness and Institutional Response
To assist the residents who were forced to leave their homes, City Hall has centralized support efforts at the Vila Florida Civic Center. Merche Cuesta, deputy regional director of the Barcelona Center for Urgent and Social Emergencies (CUESB), noted that municipal teams will remain at this location throughout the afternoon to offer support and relay information as new data on the condition of the buildings becomes available.
The councilwoman for the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district, Maria Eugènia Gay, arrived at the scene to closely monitor the progress of the work. Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was convened at City Hall, led by Mayor Jaume Collboni and Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet, and attended by Regional Minister of Territory Sílvia Paneque and Regional Minister of the Presidency Albert Dalmau, to assess the situation alongside technical officials.
Concrete injections at a depth of forty meters
Technical teams immediately began work to stabilize the affected area by filling the cavity with concrete, a process that will continue for the remainder of the day. Laura Carrasco, head of Geotechnical Engineering and Underground Works for the Generalitat, emphasized that the incident is directly linked to the excavation being carried out by the tunnel boring machine, although she was keen to categorically distance this episode from what occurred in the Carmel neighborhood in 2005. As she explained, the current construction method is entirely different, since the machine advances protected by a 12-meter metal shield that acts as a temporary support.
At this time, the tunnel boring machine is already about ten meters ahead of the point where the sinkhole originated and continues to bore as normal. Work on this section of Line 9, between Mandri and Lesseps, is being carried out at a depth of about 40 meters and is scheduled for completion this coming fall. Government spokesperson Sílvia Paneque stated that both the damaged areas and the foundations of nearby apartment buildings are being thoroughly analyzed before determining the next steps to be taken.
