Demolition damages adjacent building in Old Havana: "If a piece of that falls, it kills someone"

Neighbors of Old Havana reported that the partial demolition of a building by a state company has caused damage to the adjacent property, where they live.

Residents on Gloria Street No. 218, between Aponte and Cienfuegos, saw a fragment of their building fall this week, when a brigade from the Specialized Construction Services (SECONS) worked to demolish the eaves of the adjacent building, which It was declared in danger of collapse years ago, but where three families still live.

According to witnesses Martí News, the piece fell in the middle of the street, in a busy area.

"They put up a noose with a DO NOT ENTER sign but people kept passing, the cars kept passing and the pieces were falling. There was no police officer there to stop either. Because they didn't notify anyone, because there are even a cafeteria nearby. If a piece of that falls, it kills someone," explained a neighbor named Nélida.

The woman said that some neighbors argued with Michael Borrás Echevarría, president of the government of Old Havana, who in response told them that he would order the demolition to stop and that the problem of the collapse would be their exclusive responsibility.

The problem property suffered two partial collapses in 2004 and more than a decade ago, and three years ago it almost completely collapsed.

Although it represents a risk to neighboring houses, its demolition would have to be carried out under rigorous supervision, since the houses that are adjacent to each other are used as mooring dams.

"That a single building is demolished, and more so on a corner, is damage that will happen from building to building, meaning there is a lot to take into account so as not to affect the structure of the building that will remain," he said. the architect Julio Herrera.

On Friday, a woman was left unconscious in Central Havana after the The roof of a building on Reina Street collapsed on his head.

A video posted on Facebook showed the woman passed out on the floor, while neighbors cried for an ambulance until several men moved to help her.

An old man tried to wake her up, but when he saw that she did not react, a young man grabbed her arm, took her out of the danger zone and carried her to a car that was stopped to take her to a hospital.

Days ago, the collapse of several balconies on San Lázaro y Gervasio street, in the same Centro Habana municipality, which caused injuries to a young woman who was passing by the place.

The cause was the fall of an eave, which caused the collapse of several balconies on the first floor of the ruined buildings on the central avenue.