70 homes destroyed after landslide hits Tijuana, Mexico

At least 70 homes were destroyed after a landslide hit Tijuana's Lomas del Rubí neighborhood early Saturday morning, February 3, 2018. The landslide was caused by nearby construction work and the area was evacuated before it took place. There are no reports of injuries.

As reported by local media, the slide dragged along some 70 homes, paved streets, light poles, water pipes and drainage in just 4 hours but locals noticed movements and cracks in the hillside and streets over the past 15 days and told authorities the land was sliding little by little.

"There was a very loud thunder," one of the homeowners told local Reforma newspaper, describing events leading to the main landslide on Saturday.

"Our house was falling to pieces. Wood, stones and cement were all over the place since Monday, and things started getting worse by Tuesday and Wednesday. The ground was literally sinking until we could no longer enter or exit our house. We had to jump over the cracks in order to get our stuff out the house last night. "

Municipal Civil Protection said they notified dozens of homes that were at risk of collapse on January 23 and urged them to evacuate immediately. However, some of the residents did not listen while others 'thought the area was an amusement park and instead of withdrawing they kept taking pictures.'

Reforma said locals were still taking their belongings from homes minutes before the landslide destroyed them.

According to ZETA Tijuana, the region became unstable after nearby construction work. Although the City of Tijuana suspended the works, neighbors say they continued seeing machines working in the area.

Featured image: Landslide in Tijuana on February 3, 2018. Credit: ZETA Tijuana