Wall collapses in busy tourist area

A sizable part of the upper exterior of an aging building, located in an alley near the usually bustling area of Largo do São Domingos, fell to the ground yesterday morning, luckily causing no injuries or deaths.
The three-storey building has been standing idle for more than 40 years, and only recently part of its veranda also collapsed. At around 9.30 a.m., the fire service arrived at the scene and discovered that about a five-meter-by-three-meter portion of the exterior wall at the top of the building had collapsed. According to the owner of a nearby store, two bystanders were at the scene when the collapse took place.
“I heard a bang at that moment – that is, a sound caused by something falling on a metal canopy. The entire wall of the upper building had already fallen off when we looked out,” the male witness recalled. “It occurred when two passers-by had walked past, beneath another canopy, but no any injuries were caused.”
A statement issued last night by the Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that government officials have been closely monitoring the collapse after an immediate visit to the site. It said that back in August 2013, government officials had notified the proprietor of the need to conduct maintenance and renovation on the property, as an investigation suggested that the building lacked such a regular check-up.
The bureau also said in its statement that the authorities had the legal right to force maintenance work on buildings that hold potential safety risks. Furthermore, in this circumstance, authorities can claim any costs incurred in the process from the property owners, who could also face criminal charges for failing to protect historic buildings. Staff reporter