The Public Ministry of São Paulo opened an investigation to determine the causes of the collapsewhich took place on Thursday (12), at the construction site of the future Bela Vista Station on Line 6 – Orange of the São Paulo Metro. The accident occurred when the tunneling machine, called “tatuzão”, passed through, which resulted in the opening of a crater in the construction site, also affecting an old abandoned theater. There were no records of victims.
The Housing and Urban Planning Prosecutor’s Office of the city of São Paulo will investigate the circumstances of the accident and what measures were taken by the concessionaire Linha Uni, responsible for the work. It will also check with the Fire Department and Civil Defense the risks and possible measures to be adopted to avoid similar occurrences again.
During the investigation, the Prosecutor’s Office requested a copy of the public-private partnership contract and the inspection reports within ten days.
The collapse affected part of the facilities of the old Ágora Theater. The new theater building, which is next door, is closed for the Civil Defense to investigate its safety conditions, but was not damaged.
The Orange Line of the Metro will have 15 stations, leaving from Brazilândia to the center, connecting with the Blue Line. Launched in 2008, the work has already suffered a series of delays, and was only resumed in 2020. Delivery is expected in 2028.
Thursday’s collapse was the third on the same Orange Line. In February 2022, a crater opened after the asphalt gave way when interventions were being carried out in a ventilation shaft between the future Santa Marina and Freguesia do Ó stations. The accident took place in the Marginal Tietê region.
The other collapse, which also resulted in a crater at the construction site, occurred in the north, close to a condominium where the future Itaberaba-Hospital Vila Penteado Station will be located. In neither of these two cases were there any victims.
