This is the moment a taxi driver was almost crushed to death after a balcony collapsed from a building in Colombia.
A surveillance camera from a building next door showed a person who appeared to be an employee standing outside a store and a yellow taxi approaching the middle of the street when the concrete slabs collapsed during the early hours of Thursday.
The impact of the falling debris sent the man running and pushed a parked taxi several metres back when the driver suddenly stopped on the opposite pavement.
No injuries were reported, but three vehicles, including two taxis, were slightly damaged, the Cartagena mayor’s office said in a statement.
A taxi driver (above) was nearly crushed after a balcony collapsed from the second floor of an unoccupied building in Cartagena, Colombia, on Thursday. No injuries were reported and three vehicles, including the two taxis pictured, were damaged.
Concrete slabs were scattered along a street in the historic Getsemaní neighborhood of Cartagena after a balcony of an unoccupied building collapsed
The two-story building is located in the Getsemaní neighborhood of the city’s historic center, according to the director of Cartagena’s Disaster Risk Management Advisory Office, Daniel Vargas.
At that time there were no tenants living on the property.
“We responded quickly to the emergency to protect citizens,” he said. “We urgently call on the owners of abandoned buildings to carry out the necessary maintenance to avoid risks,” Vargas said.
Engineers were able to enter the building and conduct a thorough inspection.
The Getsemaní neighborhood in Cartagena’s historic center was free of pedestrians and heavy traffic moments before a balcony of a two-story building collapsed early Thursday morning.
“These (inspections) included a thorough assessment of the structural conditions of the affected building, traffic control in the area to ensure pedestrian safety, and rapid securing of the impacted area,” Vargas said.
“These measures were essential to prevent further incidents and facilitate the safe removal of debris.”
At least 160 inspection visits have been carried out since 2020. In 40 of these visits, some property owners were fined due to the unsafe conditions in which their properties were located.
‘It is noted that there is a wide range of buildings to be inspected in the Historic Center and, given that deterioration is not always visible, the work of identifying those that present structural deterioration or risk of collapse is exhaustive,’ said Vargas.
‘Each property owner in the Historic Center is responsible, taking into account that it is the individual’s obligation to keep their property in optimal conditions so that it does not threaten the safety of citizens,’ Vargas added.
“Sanctions will be severe in response to this gross irresponsibility.”