The Municipality of Silves is monitoring the situation of the elderly couple who, on Tuesday, December 2, were injured when they fell into a hole about three meters deep, which opened in Rua D. João II, in Pear frame.
The couple's fall was caused by a rupture in a water pipe that caused the ground to collapse, around 15:00 pm, opening a hole as the elderly people passed by.
The 60-year-old woman was quickly rescued by people, but the 70-year-old man, who was buried to the waist, was only removed two hours after the fall, at 17:15 pm, in a firefighters' operation, hampered by the sandy terrain , according to Civil Protection.
The couple had to be hospitalized in the Portimão Unit of the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve, the woman being admitted to the orthopedics service and the man to the intensive care unit.
The mayor of Silves, who said "deeply regrets the accident that occurred unpredictably", has already visited the couple and brought psychological support to the injured woman, having assured that the municipality will compensate the injured for the damage caused.
Mayor Rosa Palma reveals, in a press release, that she has already “provided the couple and their relatives, on behalf of the municipality, with all the necessary help and collaboration, namely from its technical services, and will continue to closely monitor the evolution of the situation. » and “sincerely hopes that the victims will recover as soon as possible”.
The mayor of Silves also announced that "the technical investigation work with a view to ascertaining the exact causes of the accident is continuing".
In its press release, the Municipality of Silves thanks «the excellent work carried out by the Firefighters Volunteer teams of Silves and Albufeira», and the «support provided by the GNR, INEM and the Red Cross who, in particular, provided the successful rescue of one of the victims, in extremely difficult circumstances».
Ruptures in water supply pipelines in the municipality of Silves are a frequent problem and there are several recurrent sites, which motivated the municipal government to request a survey of the problematic areas. The area where the soil fell, which led to the opening of the hole, was already referenced.
Admitting that this is a problem that affects the entire municipality, Rosa Palma explained that some of the water supply pipes are over 30 years old and have never been the target of maintenance or replacement. The mayor says that this network renovation work will have to move forward, but it will have to be done in a phased manner, according to the municipality's financial possibilities.
Photos: Armação de Pêra Parish Council
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