2023-08-03 10:18:00
He collapse of the hill of the Virgin, in Chos Malal, Tuesday became national news. The sediments cut Route 43, one of the power stations in northern Neuquén. But it is not the first time that the province of Neuquén suffers a similar situation, but in 2019 a landslide occurred that cut Route 40, between Bariloche and Villa La Angostura. I relived the precise moment when the rocks fell on the asphalt:
He rock slide on Route 40 occurred on July 23, 2019. Removal tasks began a week later.
In the case of Route 43, the mayor of Chos Malal, Hugo Gutiérrez, indicated yesterday morning that they would establish alternative roads and even analyzed being able to build a pass through the landslide area, but he estimated that the tasks ahead of them would take regarding two or three months.
The complications they face in the north of Neuquén are not only from the circulation of people, but also from gas and fuel supply for the Mines department. With the difficulties of the situation, those behind the operations assure that the provision will be guaranteed.
In 2019, for Villa La Angostura, the collapse meant a very hard blow for the winter season because the tourists who used to take the tours from Bariloche might not arrive. They estimated that, on that occasion, only half of the expected visitors arrived.
For the north of Neuquén and Chos Malal, the consequences of the landslide can only begin to be estimated, while the risk of it happening once more yesterday they forced to stop the removal tasks.
Collapse of a hill in Chos Malal: why they fear a new collapse
The mayor of Chos Malal explained that there are almost 2,000 meters along the hill that is affected and lots of cracks up still. «Fail to fall almost the same amount of material that there is at this moment fallen in the path of the collapsethat is, it is very sensitive to the hill,” he said.
“There is a part important rock, almost the same as the one that fell, that is going to fall», he claimed. When work began yesterday and materials began to be moved, “There was another landslide of large rocks, so we didn’t touch anything else from there,” Gutiérrez said.
As for the reasons, the mayor explained “at the time there were three major explosions in that sector, but also we are clear that obviously there have been seismic movements«.
Collapse of the hill of the Virgin in Chos Malal: where it is and what activities it received
The hill of the Virgin, which on Tuesday suffered a landslide on one of its slopes, it is located just over a kilometer north of Chos Malalon the other side of the Curu Leuvú river.
At his feet, passes Provincial Route 43, currently interrupted by the landslide, which unites a large part of northern Neuquén with the rest of the province. Through it, you can reach andacollo, Huinganco, Tricao Malal, The sheep y Varvarcoamong other locations.
As explained to BLACK RIVER DAILY Chos Malal’s Secretary of Government, Juan Carlos Olavethe hill represents a major tourist attraction for the city and as its name anticipates, is linked to religious tourism, from the virgin who rises on its top.
«Religious acts are held on the mountain and the neighbors carry out sports and recreational activities“, he detailed.
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