A balcony on the coastal promenade in Rosario collapsed: 'It was impressive how the river carried everything away'

07/24/2021 8:39 AM

• Clarín.com

• Society

Updated 07/24/2021 8:39 AM

A sector of the coastal promenade, in the downtown area of ​​Rosario,

collapsed at sunset on Friday

.

The authorities fenced off the area, in the so-called

Parque de España

, near the entrance to a school and cultural center.

There were no injuries.

The authorities estimate that the collapse, a strip of about

15 meters long and about ten meters deep

, was caused by the historic downspout of the Paraná River and the swell caused by the passage of ships that in the area load grain in multiple port terminals .

The place is one of the balconies to the river,

a site visited by tourists

, used for the practice of sports and by fishermen.

From that place you can see the islands of Entre Ríos and the bridge that connects Rosario with Victoria.

It is located a few blocks from the National Flag Monument.

"The entire area is unstable,"

warned Mario González, from Civil Defense.

"The river sediment" and "the movement of the waves" were pointed out by the official as possible causes of the collapse.

The collapse took place meters from the entrance to the Parque España Cultural Center.

Photo: Juan José García

Below the promenade, and in that sector of the ravine, there are

boxes and precarious settlements

.

However, the Civil Defense official ruled out that the collapse had affected the families living there, who left the place after hearing strange noises.

“We check everything.

Luckily there was no one, "he explained to Channel 3.

Given what happened, the municipality decided to

suspend all cultural activities

that were going to take place in the complex located a few meters from the place where part of the ravine fell.

"Due to the partial collapse of the Spain Park Pier, pedestrian mobility in the sector has been interrupted," the municipality reported through its social networks.

This is how the ravine that collapsed on Friday night was left.

Photo: Juan José García

Occasional witnesses said that the noise heard before the collapse

was "impressive"

and that in a few minutes part of the walk fell, a section of the railings and even some of the lights located in the corridor.

“A big ship passed by and everyone thought it was the noise of the waves, but it got worse and worse and it started taking everything.

It was impressive how the river washed away everything,

"said a young woman who observed the scene.

On March 13, 2005, another sector of the Parque de España, located on the descent of Calle San Martín, collapsed onto the Paraná River.

About 500 square meters were affected.

Six people were injured, for which the municipality had to compensate them after being convicted in a trial.

In April of last year an area of ​​a local fishing club, also in the city center, collapsed.

The sector was used for the partners to eat.

Different towns located on the banks of the Paraná have warned in recent months about the fall of part of its ravines.

The authorities do not rule out that collapses will occur in the affected sector on Friday, which is why they fenced the area to prevent pedestrians from circulating or sports activities.

Rosary beads.

Correspondent.

DD