Residents from 93 flats evacuated after a sinkhole opened in Barcelona's Sant Gervasi neighbourhood will have to spend at least Monday night away from home, according to Barcelona City Council and reporting based on the emergency response. The collapse happened in an internal courtyard affecting buildings on Carrer de Rubinstein, Carrer de Teodora Lamadrid and Carrer de Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, in the Sant Gervasi - la Bonanova area.
The sinkhole measured about eight metres in diameter and four metres deep. No injuries were reported, but the evacuation affects dozens of households in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, and the exact number of residents had not been confirmed on Monday. For people forced out of their homes, the immediate consequence is clear: they cannot return yet and need temporary accommodation or social assistance tonight.
Barcelona City Council said municipal services were activated after the sinkhole appeared near works on Metro line 9, known as the L9. Throughout the day, the city's social emergencies and urgencies centre, CUESB, assisted 85 people.
Municipal services were activated for a sinkhole in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Barcelona City Council said in its official notice on Monday.
What happened and where
The incident was reported on Monday 7 July in the district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi. The official council notice places the emergency in the Sant Gervasi area, while source reporting says the sinkhole opened in a courtyard surrounded by residential buildings on Rubinstein, Teodora Lamadrid and Sant Gervasi de Cassoles streets.
Early reports cited four evacuated properties. Later reporting based on the emergency operation said eight buildings and 93 flats were affected. The City Council notice confirms the municipal response, but does not specify in the text provided how many buildings were evacuated, so the higher figure should be treated as the latest reported operational count rather than a detail confirmed in the council note.
- Location: Sant Gervasi - la Bonanova, in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district
- Streets affected: Carrer de Rubinstein, Carrer de Teodora Lamadrid and Carrer de Sant Gervasi de Cassoles
- Size of sinkhole: about 8 metres wide and 4 metres deep
- Homes affected: 93 flats
- People assisted by CUESB: 85
Why the area was already under works
The sinkhole appeared close to construction on the central section of Barcelona's L9 and L10 metro project. According to information published on 7 July by 20minutos, citing the Departament de Territori, Habitatge i Transició Ecològica, the tunnel boring machine had already reached Carrer de Sant Gervasi de Cassoles after completing 265 metres on its route towards the future Lesseps station.
That same report said the machine is about 100 metres long and 12 metres in diameter, and that the unfinished Mandri-Lesseps tunnel section measures 1.6 kilometres. Residents in the district had been called to an information session on Tuesday about the latest progress of the project and technical building inspections linked to the tunnel works.
The City Council notice links the emergency directly to municipal service activation, but the cause of the collapse remains a matter for the ongoing technical assessment. Source reporting attributes the sinkhole to nearby L9 works, while at least one nearby resident had previously warned the Catalan department Territori about cracks, according to El Nacional.
What evacuated residents can do tonight
Residents who cannot stay with relatives or friends can seek help through Barcelona's social emergency system. The council said CUESB, the city's Centre for Social Emergencies and Urgencies, assisted 85 people during the day. Information about the city's emergency shelter service is available from Barcelona City Council.
For now, there is no confirmed time for residents to return. The information available on Monday states only that they will not be able to go back home today and must stay away for at least tonight. Anyone affected should follow instructions from emergency staff and municipal services on site, as the official notice does not give a reopening hour or a date for re-entry.
Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat, Barcelona City Council. Reported by elmundo.es, César Martínez, Jordi Palmer, typsa.com, mdpi.com, Gerard Pruna, El País, Jose Polo, elperiodico.com, barna.news, redaccio, Diari ARA.
