New crack after Putxet sinkhole will push back return dates for 40% of residents 

A new crack in one of the buildings affected by the Barcelona Metro Line 9 sinkhole in El Putxet was discovered on Friday, July 31. 

This discovery prevents 40% of the evicted residents from returning home until at least September. 

The sinkhole opened on July 7 and forced residents of eight buildings, including 93 apartments, to evacuate in Barcelona's Putxet neighbourhood. 

On July 20, the first residents returned to their homes after technical checks were completed and the buildings deemed safe. 

During the checks, a crack was discovered in one building and will affect the return to four blocks. These buildings had no established return, though this discovery will prevent it from being in the near future.  

40% of the residents evicted live on these four blocks and their wait to return home is extended for another month. 

The crack was located in the basement of Rubinstein Street 2, which is a "change in trend" according to Ramón Ramírez, the director general of transport infrastructure at Catalonia's territory department.
 
Injection and stabilization work will be carried out to secure the area. 

Despite this setback, some residents of Rubinstein 6 have been returning home this week, and those of Sant Gervasi de Cassoles 54, will do so next week. 

60% of the residents should be able to return home in two weeks. The remaining properties have a longer wait time due to the crack. 

A situation that might not be resolved until September.