300 people have been evacuated from the sinkhole area.
Zaruma, El Oro
Freddy macas
The residents of Colón, Ernesto Castro and 9 de Octubre streets, in the downtown area of Zaruma, experienced moments of anguish on Wednesday night. Neighbors began to warn of cracks around 7:20 p.m.
It only took a few minutes for the problem to take on larger dimensions. A huge sinkhole formed in the area and washed away two houses. One of them, considered patrimonial, fell like a card in the hole. The power supply went out and the screams of the neighbors took over the neighborhood.
“A few minutes before we heard a noise like a dynamite explosion, we were immediately alerted that the two houses collapsed, my house is located about 20 meters from ground zero,” explained Mauricio Carrión, owner of a property in the sector.
The collapse of the houses occurred at 7:40 p.m., explained one of the Zaruma firefighters, who participated in the evacuation of the people.
Seeing the risk, people began to leave the houses. Some were trying to get their belongings out. The evacuation of the people took less than 20 minutes.
Two houses destroyed, another at risk and three streets affected by the sinking in Zaruma, in El Oro. There are 300 people evacuated
At dawn this Thursday, a group of technicians and firefighters carried out an evaluation of structures in Colón, Ernesto Castro and 9 de Octubre streets of the Zaruma canton, where it was determined that there are two houses collapsed as a result of the sinkhole that was registered the night of Wednesday.
Technicians from the Risks Secretariat, Municipality of Zaruma and elements of the Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR), made up of firefighters from the province of El Oro, prepared a preliminary report for an urgent intervention in the affected sector.
According to the residents of the sector, the two houses correspond to the cultural heritage and were currently inhabited by tenants. The first has four floors and the second has three floors, one of these buildings was around 120 years old.
The Ministry of Risks reported that there are 300 people evacuated corresponding to houses near the sinkhole, a perimeter of 200 meters was cordoned off, and they are guarded by the military.
Two shelters were set up at the Gabriela Mistral school and the Colonial hotel, but the majority chose to go to foster homes.
President Guillermo Lasso spoke out about the sinking in Zaruma
During the morning of this Thursday, the meeting between local and national authorities is expected to plan urgent actions against the risk posed by the new sinkhole that occurred in this city of Orense.
“This (the sinkhole) had been waiting and nobody did anything, behind this there is a tail of straw at the level of authorities,” said Oswaldo Valarezo, who took out his belongings from a house located on Calle 9 de Octubre, a few meters away of the sinkhole.
The families took advantage of the first hours of this Thursday to remove their belongings from the homes that are at risk. “We are very sorry because no one did anything, not the mayor and not the government, illegal mining was still in the ground without being controlled, now we are left without our house for years,” said Vinicio Valarezo, owner of a property on the street Colon. (I)
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