ISSUE NO. 1631
6 - 12 October 2016
COSTA DEL SOL
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Water blast at hotel
By Matt Ford A water pipe exploded in a Benalmadena hotel producing a violent and spectacular 10-metre-high geyser which flooded the grounds, a restaurant, the lobby and a number of rooms. The 9am blowout caused extensive damage to the Hotel Los Patos on Tuesday October 4 and forced staff to evacuate parts of the packed 300-room premises, which currently houses 720 tourists including many British families. Spanish reports state that no one was injured but EWN was
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contacted by one patron who told us his pregnant wife had suffered a fractured arm and had to be taken to hospital following the blast. Guests eating breakfast received the biggest shock, as water began to surge at force through the windows prompting the startled diners to charge outside. Police and firefighters were quickly on the scene, and working alongside technicians from water supply firm Acosol they managed to reduce the pressure and drain inundated areas within a few hours.
The blast of high-pressure water from the metre-wide pipe reached the fifth floor, and the town hall said the fault will result in cuts throughout Benalmadena Costa and Arroyo de la Miel until at least Friday, while repairs to the hotel are also likely to take several days. A great deal of the flood water was discharged via a local stream, the Arroyo de la Vega, causing an extensive plume of dirty fresh water to appear on the surface of the sea. The pipeline in question connects the La Concepcion dam at Istan to Malaga City, al-
though it is now used only to supply Benalmadena. It is said to be more than 30 years old, and the Acosol technicians reported that the rupture was not suspicious, having been generated by excessive pressure.