Two major incidents shocked people in Europe and Latin America this week. In Spain, 10 people died in Valencia after a fire spread quickly in a building constructed in 2005. And in southern Venezuela, a mine collapse left 16 people dead.
Fire in Spain
The fire broke out on Thursday in a residential building in Valencia, Spain’s third largest city. The flames spread rapidly, sweeping through the entire building in a short time and leaving 10 people dead, four of whom belonged to the same family: a mother, a father, a 2-year-old child and a newborn.
In the coming days, a group of experts will determine the exact causes and the reason for the rapid spread of the fire. However, the first impressions of experts speak of a highly flammable cladding. On one side, the City Engineers Association mentioned polyurethane panels clad with aluminum sheets, while the Architects Association reported that the insulation was made of rock wool, which is less flammable.
The fire was fanned by the strong wind in Valencia, despite the arduous efforts of the firefighters. According to the national meteorological office, wind gusts reached up to 60 kilometers per hour that day. Another reason pointed out by experts was the chimney effect caused by the ventilated facade used at the time of construction. What this means is that it has a space between the cladding and the facade that creates a small air chamber in the wall; this allows for better thermal conditions, but contributes to the spread of fire.
The property was built between 2005 and 2008 by a construction company that went bankrupt during the real estate bubble. At the time of construction there were no restrictions in the country on the materials used in terraces and facades, the president of the Architects Association explained to local media. In 2011 the regulations changed and at present such products are regulated.
The fire originated between floors seven and eight, making it difficult for people to get out of the upper floors; all the deceased were trapped on the higher levels. At first, people were confused, the last couple to be rescued by the firefighters through the balcony told the media that they tried to get out, but some neighbors told them that the fire had been controlled and they returned; later, the flames had engulfed the tower, blocking the advance through the corridor.
The fire also left 15 people injured and hundreds of people homeless. The city council reported a series of measures to help those affected, including 131 municipally-owned homes, financial aid for basic needs, tax relief for those seeking to buy a home, free transportation and psychological help.
Blood gold in Venezuela
🇻🇪📹 El desplome del yacimiento Bulla Loca, en Venezuela, provoca un número aún indeterminado de muertos, heridos y sepultados, mientras los mineros tratan de rescatar a sus compañeros 👉🏼 https://t.co/RLj0QPAc1H pic.twitter.com/KlOUa8XwBW
— EL PAÍS América (@elpais_america) February 21, 2024
At least 16 people died and 11 were injured when an illegal gold mine collapsed in a remote area in southern Venezuela, a seven-hour sail from La Paragua, the nearest town. The surviving miners themselves began the rescue of their co-workers; later the corpses arrived at La Paragua in boats, in the middle of a fuel shortage.
Dozens of miners were working in the “Bulla Loca” open pit mine when a landslide covered them at a depth of 30 meters. The undermining of the land for gold extraction was the cause of the landslide. The mine, which has been operating irregularly for six months, is not the only one that has recorded accidents; in 2023 another excavation collapsed, leaving 12 people dead.
Mining has been on the rise in the area, promoted by a decree of President Nicolás Maduro on the creation of the Orinoco Mining Arc for the exploitation of minerals. However, his government qualifies the mining areas at “Bulla Loca” as illegal.
In the past, the area’s residents were mainly engaged in agriculture, but the country’s economic and fuel crisis and lack of financing moved them out of the sector, stimulated by Maduro’s announcement. Since then, they have increased the exploitation of diamonds, gold and other minerals.
These extraction areas do not have the necessary planning, which increases the probability of landslides and flooding. It is also an area plagued by smugglers and guerrillas, with numerous illegal acts that put the sector’s population at risk.
The environmental damage is deplorable, too. At least 30 rivers are affected by mining activity, with evidence of contamination in the basins of the Caroní, Cuyuní and Caura rivers, which affects indigenous populations and the water intake of nearby towns. Even areas of the Amazon protected as national parks are affected, for which different environmental non-governmental organizations have been denouncing ecocide for years.
Although Maduro’s government has announced the eviction of illegal miners on various occasions, non-governmental organizations working in the area affirm that mining has never stopped in the region. It has, in fact, worsened.
Image: Agspp
