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THE INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WITH LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FRIDAY 22nd APRIL TO THURSDAY 5th MAY 2016
EDITION 549
TENERIFE MOURNS SEVEN VICTIMS NOW THE AFTERMATH
Photos by Gerard Zenou Shockingly, a SECOND building elsewhere in Tenerife, in Alcala, has been evacuated because it was deemed unsafe due to corrosion and is currently being repaired. Its tenants are having to live elsewhere as well. (Full story on this on page 5). The collapse of the fivestorey residential property at 12 calle Amalia Alayón/calle Valle Menéndez, right in the heart of the tourist centre of Los Cristianos, was totally shock-ing. One minute the building was there, the next it was gone. It collapsed literally like a pack of cards, falling from top to bottom in concertinafashion, leaving just a huge pile of concrete slabs in its wake.
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HE terrible tragedy which hit Tenerife at 9.31am on April 14th will have lasting repercussions, not least for the seven people who lost their lives and their grieving family and friends. There are so many questions still to be answered. Why? How? What if? What next? Could it happen again? Where does the investigation go from here? How is everything going to be resolved? Who is res-
ponsible? At the time of going to press, the reason for the collapse of the builing in the heart of Los Cristianos had not been revealed and more than 90 people evacuated from
neighbouring blocks were not back in their homes. Engineers won’t let them return until they are absolutely certain there is no risk. There are huge worries. If this property could crumble like it did, could it happen elsewhere? Was it a gas leak which would be a one-off or was it down to wear and tear or erosion?
Shocking pictures of the scene showed the devastatation but the reality was even worse. People who walked past the disaster site described it “as looking like an earthquake had hit” and reminiscent of the Twin Towers. Tourists were visibly moved, with most uttering the words “Oh my god!” Although three people survived the collapse, two of them needing hospital treatment and the other just totally traumatised, rescuers virtually knew from the outset that there were going to be deaths. The rumours at the start were two but it turned out to be much worse. Arona council was able to check its records and initially
said eleven people were unaccounted for but four turned up safe and well and had not been in the building. There were 24 flats in the property above a supermarket and just yards away from other apartments, cafes, shops and restaurants. This is a busy area of Los Cristianos and a muchused street. Had the incident happened when some of the nearby terraces were open and full, there would have been more fatalities. “We were only sat in one of the cafes a few days before,” said one shocked English couple.
Continued on page 3