Souvenir shop on Costa del Sol collapses during sewage system improvement works

The Souvenirs Estepona shop, on Avenida de España at the junction with the centrally located Calle San Nicolás, has collapsed this Wednesday afternoon (14 February) "after the building's foundations were breached by 20 centimetres" during external work being carried out by workers from Ingeniería, Obras y Tecnología Europea, a subcontractor of water company Hidralia.

The work, planned as part of the municipal plan to improve the sewage system network happened at around 5.30pm and no personal injuries were reported after the incident.

According to Hidralia sources, the experts' report is still pending, but the collapse of the upper floor has been confirmed, which has caused serious damage to the structure of the building.

The incident occurred during the excavation of an external trench in sandy soil which, after the recent rains, suffered a landslide that affected the foundations of the building.

Initially, a small crack appeared, but it finally caused the structure to collapse. Municipal technicians and experts were quickly on the scene, as well as the National and Local Police, firefighters and the town mayor, José María García Urbano.

No damage has been caused to neighbouring properties and tomorrow the affected part of the building will be demolished, Urbano said.