A courtyard behind the Verona pizzeria collapsed on Tuesday morning, 7 July 2026, prompting authorities in Barcelona to evacuate 23 residents from four apartment buildings in the Putxet neighborhood. The incident occurred between 10:30 and 11:00, bringing a rapid response from the Guàrdia Urbana and six units of the Bombers de Barcelona. Municipal sources cited by Europa Press said no injuries had been reported. The collapse left a hole about eight meters in diameter and four meters deep.
The evacuation later expanded beyond the four buildings initially cleared. Authorities ultimately evacuated eight buildings containing 93 homes, affecting roughly 300 residents. The properties were on Teodora Lamadrid and Rubinstein streets, near the FGC El Putxet station. Later reporting linked the collapse to construction work on Metro Line 9 (L9), whose tunnel excavation is progressing toward Lesseps, rather than treating it as an isolated ground failure.
Emergency teams from Barcelona’s Centre d’Urgències i Emergències Socials (CUESB) were activated to assist displaced residents and coordinate support. Deputy mayor and district councilor Maria Eugènia Gay visited the site to oversee the response and meet residents. Access to the courtyard and nearby areas was restricted while technical teams inspected the buildings and monitored ground movement as they carried out subsurface consolidation and stabilization work.
The reopening has proceeded in stages. By mid-October, authorities had authorized returns to 54 homes and eight commercial premises, while 18 homes and seven premises remained unavailable. The building at Teodora Lamadrid 5, with 15 homes and one commercial premises, was scheduled to welcome residents back from 26 October 2026, after structural checks and any required repairs. Rubinstein 2 and 4, along with Teodora Lamadrid 3, were expected to remain closed until early 2027. The Department of Territory described the progress of consolidation and monitoring work as favorable.
Public updates have used different counts for the affected properties: one tally listed 87 homes and 16 businesses, while another reported 93 homes and described the staged return of homes and commercial premises. Authorities also said some buildings had regained normal access by the end of August. The Generalitat de Catalunya and Barcelona City Council established a permanent monitoring office to improve information and support for residents as inspections and repairs continued.
The incident has also prompted legal action. Affected residents joined a collective case against the Generalitat and Barcelona City Council, alleging failures to supervise the work carried out by the joint venture excavating the L9 tunnel. The Partit Popular separately filed a complaint alleging prevarication and a possible offense against collective safety in construction. These are allegations, not findings of liability.
The sinkhole adds to concerns about urban safety in Barcelona, where a fatal shooting in the La Pegaso district just days earlier drew impressive police resources and public concern. A recent report detailed the investigation into the teenager’s death in La Sagrera. In Putxet, ongoing inspections and reinforcement work have prolonged the disruption, alongside the phased return of residents and local businesses.
