Lisbon, Sept. 3, 2025 (Lusa) - The inspection of the foundations and structures of the buildings adjacent to the one whose side façade collapsed early this morning in the Lisbon parish of São Vicente is underway this morning, said the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.
Speaking to journalists at the site, the mayor explained that the inspection is being carried out with the contractor responsible for the work on the building adjacent to the side façade of the building that collapsed this morning.
According to the mayor, the authorities, including the municipal Civil Protection, as well as the owner of the work, municipal engineers and the Fire Brigade, will determine "whether the problems are structural or superficial".
Sixteen people were left homeless when the side façade of an old neighbouring building collapsed at around 03:00 on Rua do Sol à Graça, in the parish of São Vicente, Lisbon.
The collapse of the structure didn't cause any casualties. Still, the inhabitants of neighbouring buildings were displaced because their homes were left uninhabitable, according to the first information provided to Lusa by the Sapadores Fire Brigade.
The old building whose façade collapsed was being restored.
According to Carlos Moedas, "there were no injuries", only a partially destroyed car, explaining that in one of the neighbouring buildings, of five families, two have already found accommodation and the rest are waiting to be moved.
The mayor emphasised that an inspection is being carried out by the City Council's Urban Planning Service, together with the contractor, and that an inquiry is being carried out into what happened, "whether the work was licensed, what papers it has, what is happening, because this shouldn't have happened and it can't happen".
"But these things happen, and the Civil Protection services of the Fire Brigade Regiment acted immediately. People are calm and serene, but obviously it's a shock," he said.
According to Carlos Moedas, the municipal Civil Protection and the City Council will find the necessary accommodation solutions, ensuring that the people affected "will have a roof over their heads temporarily", emphasising that the most important thing "is to identify structurally with the engineers if there is any danger for people to return to their homes".
"Now, the mistake that was made here will have to be identified," Carlos Moedas retorted.
As for the question of whether the street is passable, the mayor of Lisbon explained that everything will depend on the inspection.
"If the inspection is positive, in the sense that there are no major structural problems, the street can then be reopened. If not, we'll have to close the street, at least today, to ensure that we have all the (...) security here," he explained.
Carlos Moedas reiterated the importance of determining the condition of the buildings' foundations and whether the structures have been affected.
"We're going to see all the walls, all the gables, the gable has a crack, so we're going to see if that crack is structural or not. If it's superficial, people can come back, we can reinforce that part of the building, if not, it'll be a few days, but we're going to have enormous pressure here on (...) the contractor and the owner of the work, because this is the responsibility of whoever was doing the work, obviously," he emphasised.
RCP/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
