Ondarroa – Spanish officials say at least 180 people have been evacuated in the northern coastal city of Ondarroa after days of heavy rain caused a rock cliff to partially collapse, threatening a row of newly built apartment buildings.
Mayor Zubeltz Bedialauneta said experts had warned that a rocky cliff behind the new apartments had shown slippage after nearly a week of heavy downpours and it finally began to give way on Friday afternoon.
He said the local government decided to evacuate residents on Saturday after boulders struck the rear of the buildings. Bedialauneta said there’s still a danger that the rest of the cliff could collapse onto the apartments.
City spokesperson Leire Beitia said the latest tests showed “the state of the cliff face has worsened alarmingly”.