Riemst Again are three houses in the small village of ‘Sisters’ in Riemst uninhabitable declared after a collapse Thursday morning. In August of last year also had all four families had to be evacuated into the adjacent Trudo Jansstraat, after a breakage in the water pipe the ground had washed away. This time seems to be a mysterious marl quarry made the cause of a prolapse of the Misweg. The parents of the in 2007 assassinated Gabby Hessels had made their leave home.
It was father Hubert Hessels itself that Thursday saw the ground when his neighbor suddenly subsided. Also in his house were already large cracks visible. Therefore he could directly in the cellar of his neighbor watching. That neighbor was fri night not at home. Immediately struck Hubert Hessels alarm to the emergency services. In the street was also a suspicious drip pan.
“We have indeed been able to establish that in one house, the surface was diminished,” says officer Peter Vanspauwen of fire zone East of Limburg. “Moreover, it was clear that the gas line was swept away. Of course, we have the area evacuated. In the course of the afternoon Infrax the gas leak, fortunately, can be sealed. In the meantime, it turned out that not only the conscious house was subsiding. It is a closed construction, which is also against the walls of the two adjoining dwellings, large cracks appeared. For that reason, for now, the three houses are uninhabitable declared.” The house on the left was already occupied, the occupant of the affected home can be tentative with his girlfriend in Antwerp. For the family Hessels was Thursday shelter look for in a bed & breakfast in Riemst.
Again Sisters
“it is Very painful that the Sisters now and again affected by a subsidence,” mayor Marc Fox (CD&V). “Even though the circumstances this time seemed different than in August. We are still not quite sure, but it seems that the surface is diminished in an unfamiliar, old marl quarry made. Normally we have the underground system is good in map, but we didn’t know that at this place one could be. Nevertheless, it does appear that the basement of this house, partly in a quarry is gedonderd. Our services go now to investigate further.”
The mayor called for Thursday, the whole street together for a consultation. “It seems that this time the road surface itself is not eaten will sink and that there is no further enlargement. However, the traffic now is very difficult. The previous collapse to the Trudo Jansstraat is still not resolved and now we should also this Misweg exit. Thus, the two main roads of the village blocked. The traffic provisionally through the smaller verkavelingswegen. Nevertheless, we believe that the Misweg possible for the weekend again, can be opened to traffic.”
Not afraid
Neighbor Hendrik Snakes live all his life in Sisters and knows the mergelgroeves as his pocket. “I have a dozen years ago as a prolapse for my own door. Very annoying. Whether we’re not particularly worried? To go not. We know the problem, and the people who live here know it almost all. But the ground remains very unstable, that is simply own this mergelstreek. In the affected house are recently heavy renovations. Contractors do not always know that the base is so vulnerable. Possible that the subsidence in the hand work?”