Wall collapses on Granada's Costa Tropical during Storm Francis

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Work is under way to repair the construction site on Calle Cerro Gordo in La Herradura and to a damaged water pipe in the Rambla de Cabria

MJ Arrebola

Granada

Friday, 9 January 2026, 11:53

As Storm Francis made its way along Granada province's Costa Tropical on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 January, intense and persistent rainfall was recorded in just a few hours. As well as flooded streets and landslides, in Calle Cerro Gordo, in La Herradura, the heavy downpour caused the collapse of a wall belonging to a private construction site. The rain gradually soaked the ground until the wall collapsed, leaving a large accumulation of earth, stones and concrete blocks on the road.

The machines are now working to remove the large blocks scattered along the road. An operator and an excavator are carrying out work to remove material and make the area safe while traffic remains cut off from the site. The machine operator who is in the area explained to IDEAL that the fall of the wall was caused by the softening of the ground after the heavy rain and explained that they are now cleaning the area.

No personal injuries were reported, although there was significant material damage. A local resident contacted the emergency services after hearing a loud bang that echoed throughout the area. Firefighters from the Almuñécar fire service arrived at the scene and proceeded to mark off the area as a preventive measure, while waiting for the developer to remove the rubble and stabilise the hillside.

Two German nationals living in a house downstream from the landslide recounted the moment the wall collapsed: "We heard a very loud bang, as if the mountain was coming down all at once," said Gunther, who was spending a few days in the town. "We immediately went outside and saw the wall completely collapsed and the earth filling the road," added his wife Sabine.

Mayor of Almuñécar Juanjo Ruiz Joya confirmed that the landslide occurred on private property and stressed that "no major damage has been recorded during the passage of the storm".

Under repair

The storm also left its mark on the Rambla de Cabria, where a flash flood caused damage to a section of the water supply pipe and affected the supply to several houses. The president of the Mancomunidad association of town halls on the Costa Tropical, Rafael Caballero, explained that the rain left "up to 90 litres per square metre in different parts of the area", with peaks of "40 litres per square metre in just an hour and a half" during Monday afternoon, an intensity that explains the rapid rise of the riverbed and the damage to the pipeline.

Town hall staff and workers from Almuñécar's public water company have been on site to repair the damage. The Mancomunidad highlighted the coordination between the local authorities, public water company and emergency services, as well as the rapid response of the technical teams following the intense rainfall.