National
Three confirmed dead after building collapses in Santander city centre
By m.p. - Dec 9, 2007 - 6:11 PM
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Santander City Hall has declared three official days of mourning for the three people who lost their lives when a building in the old part of Santander city centre suddenly collapsed early on Saturday evening. The first body to be recovered was that of 70 year old Gumersinda Colmenero Carranceja, and the second, recovered by firemen shortly before 6am on Sunday, is her 50 year old son, Jesús María Gómez Colmenero.
The third body was recovered later on Sunday and is an Argentinean man who lived with the family. The woman’s other son escaped with his life and is under treatment in the Marqués de Valdecilla Hospital.
El País newspaper said the four were the only remaining residents still living in the building, number 14 la Cuesta del Hospital, after the other occupants moved out owing to building work on the adjacent site at number 12. Indeed, the construction at number 12 is being put forward as the possible cause of the collapse, with indications from the city’s Mayor, Iñigo de la Serna, that the site has exceeded the limits of the planning permission granted by City Hall. He said municipal technicians visited the site on Friday, following a complaint placed by local residents.
The Mayor has now announced that all buildings in the district will be inspected by municipal technicians.
Number 14, la Cuesta del Hospital, is the fifth building in the Cabildo de Arriba district of Santander which has collapsed since 2005, in an area which has become increasingly run-down in recent years, and where another 10 buildings in this historic part of the city have been demolished by City Hall. The whole district is classified as a renovation area, where six buildings have already undergone renovation and another 12 are due to do so.
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