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96 destroyed buildings during the earthquake are investigated
Posted On 05 Oct 2016
Technical information on the causes of the fall and destruction of buildings during the earthquake of April 16 was delivered yesterday to the local authorities in the provinces of Manabi and Esmeraldas, in a ceremony held in Ciudad Alfaro, Montecristi, that was attended by Attorney General Galo Chiriboga; the secretary of the Reconstruction Committee, Carlos Bernal; and representatives of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing.
“It is a technical information so that the necessary corrective measures are taken in the future. We are investigating the facts, there are some complaints filed by citizens and groups, which are still under investigation,” Chiriboga said. samples of 96 buildings that were seriously affected by the earthquake in Manta, Portoviejo, Bahia, Canoa, San Vicente, and Pedernales were taken. These samples underwent various types of structure resistance and geotechnical soil.
Carlos Bernal, of the reconstruction committee, said that about a thousand voluntary technicians, among architects and engineers who received training in Manta, Guayaquil, and Quito, participated in the technical assessment set out in a report. Of these, 300 were hired by the Ministry of Housing.
Alejandro Irigoyen, one of the experts, said that the research found that the structures were built on a soil affected by river currents and the sea entrance (Manta, Pedernales, and Portoviejo) and floods, recorded before the earthquake, helped the collapse of buildings.
