Barcelona City Council said on Tuesday, 7 July, that it would hold a press conference on the impact of the L9 Metro works incident in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, after an eight-metre-wide sinkhole opened in Putxet and forced the evacuation of nearby residential buildings.

For residents in the affected area, the immediate consequence is that access to some homes remains restricted while emergency teams stabilise the ground. The City Council said representatives from emergency services and the Generalitat, the Catalan government, would take part in the briefing.

Municipal sources cited by RTVE said the sinkhole opened in an interior courtyard at number 4 Carrer de Rubinstein, near the L9 works, shortly before 11.00am. Fire crews found a hole about eight metres in diameter and four metres deep, affecting the courtyard and a small storage space, with no injuries reported.

Press conference to monitor the impact of the L9 Metro works in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district, with representatives from emergency services and the Generalitat.

Evacuations and emergency response in Putxet

The most consistent official figure in the available primary-source reporting is five evacuated buildings. RTVE, citing the City Council, reported that firefighters evacuated five properties as a precaution in the Putxet area of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi.

Barcelona Fire Brigade received the alert just before 11.00am and sent six crews to the scene, according to RTVE and municipal information published by the Guàrdia Urbana notice. The council also activated the Centre d'Urgències i Emergències Socials de Barcelona, known as CUESB, which provides social workers and psychologists during emergencies involving sudden loss of accommodation.

Some reports published during the day gave different numbers for the evacuations, ranging from four to eight buildings. But the official municipal line carried by RTVE and the City Council notice refers to five buildings, so that is the figure used here.

  • Location identified by municipal sources: number 4 Carrer de Rubinstein, Putxet
  • Size reported by responders: about 8 metres across and 4 metres deep
  • Emergency deployment: 6 fire crews
  • Reported injuries: none

What officials have said about the L9 works

According to reporting that cited Laura Carrasco, head of geotechnics and underground works at the Department of Territory, sensors had detected increased vertical movement in buildings and nearby elements before the sinkhole was identified. That led technicians and firefighters to inspect the area and order evacuations.

Carrasco said the cavity could not continue to deepen under the construction system being used. Separate reporting also said concrete injection had begun to consolidate and stabilise the ground.

Later on Tuesday morning, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni met the Catalan minister for territory, Sílvia Paneque, and the minister for the presidency, Albert Dalmau, to address the incident, according to reporting from the scene. Paneque said the tunnel boring machine was a few metres away from the sinkhole site and would remain stopped while technical checks were completed.

What affected residents should do next

Residents who have been evacuated should follow instructions from firefighters, Guàrdia Urbana, Barcelona's city police, and CUESB staff on accommodation and access to homes. The City Council has not, in the source material provided, given a time for residents to return.

People in the area should avoid the cordoned-off section around Carrer de Rubinstein and nearby buildings while stabilisation work continues. The official municipal update currently available is the City Council notice on the sinkhole in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, and the council has said Tuesday's press conference will provide further information.

Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat. Reported by Source Text Link, Gerard Pruna, RTVE.es/ EFE, Alejandro Díaz, Marc Guasch Ferreiro, elmundo.es, Arantxa Palacios, Yolanda Bernal, David Expósito J., Por Newsroom Infobae Agregar Infobae en Agrega Infobae a tus medios preferidos en Google, Diari Catalunya.