BRIEFS: Metro

Balcony falls from casco viejo building

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crumbling: Casco Viejo residents fear for their safety following the disintegration of a balcony overhanging Calle 9 last Sunday.1063678

The woeful conditions of several buildings in Casco Viejo have residents of the area worried about their safety.

Carmina de Gálvez, 71, is still recovering from the fright she had last Sunday, when the balcony on a nearby building on Calle 9 collapsed.

“This building is crumbling little by little,” she said, referring to her apartment building. “Every day we hear pieces falling to the ground.”

The seven families living in Gálvez’s building don’t know how to contact the landlord, who has allegedly not come to collect the rent since the year 2000.

What first seemed a boon for the building’s residents has now become a source of concern, as calls for repairs go unheeded.

“We’ve sent a letter to the authorities to resolve these problems, but we haven’t received a response,” said Gálvez.

Ariel Espino, director of the Oficina del Casco Antiguo, said he was under the impression that the balcony fell last Sunday after a truck crashed into the building. Officials of the Patrimonio Histórico have investigated the conditions of buildings in the area, he added.