An old abandoned house collapsed at around 22:00 on Tuesday in the comuna (municipality) of San Miguel, in the Región Metropolitana (Santiago Metropolitan Region). The structure fell onto a parked car and destroyed much of the adjoining house. No one was injured.
According to T13, the collapse happened amid the heavy rain and gusts of wind that hit the capital during the frontal system. The neighboring house belongs to an elderly woman who has lived in the area for more than 50 years.
The emergency caused the total loss of the kitchen in that home. The debris completely crushed the car, which the owner's son-in-law had recently bought.
The family called what happened a miracle. The homeowner's son-in-law and her grandson got out of the vehicle just minutes before the structure fell on it.
ADN Radio added that the collapse also damaged a tree and a street lighting pole. Chilevisión, for its part, described the incident as the collapse of a brick perimeter wall on Oran street, which hit the car and part of the power lines.
The sources differ on the extent of what gave way: T13 and ADN Radio refer to an entire house, while Chilevisión refers to the house's perimeter wall. No outlet specified the structural cause of the collapse beyond the storm.
Up to that point, the Región Metropolitana had accumulated about 50 millimeters of rainfall, according to Chilevisión.
Municipal staff arrived at the scene to secure the perimeter in case of further collapses. The Municipalidad de San Miguel (San Miguel municipal government) said its emergency teams are facing high demand due to the situation across the comuna, so debris removal and structural support at the property will take place on Wednesday.
