At least 70 meters of the seawall collapsed due to beach erosion and intense waves caused by the swell in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, with only material damage reported.
The waves that directly impacted the seawall ended up knocking it down, along with a section of the sidewalk leading down to Playa Norte, on Avenida del Mar.
Civil Protection personnel arrived at the site to cordon off the area and prevent incidents with tourists, but they could do nothing more due to the intense waves that are still ongoing.
The Mazatlán City Council’s legal representative, Minerva Osuna, reported that personnel from the Municipal Public Works Department went to assess the damage and prepared an initial estimate of over five million pesos.
“The crack is quite severe, and if we don’t address it immediately, the street will break,” she stated.
However, work cannot begin immediately, despite the risk to the avenue, because machinery cannot be brought in until the waves subside.
According to Colselva, an organization specializing in water and environmental issues, the collapse of part of the boardwalk was due to erosion of Playa Norte, a problem they have been warning about for years, and the same could happen in other parts of Mazatlán.
The lack of sand has caused waves to directly impact urban infrastructure, posing a risk to tourists.
Source: excelsior
