Shaky foundations: Elche’s seismic safety crisis revealed

Nearly three-quarters of the buildings in Elche lack essential measures to protect lives during severe earthquakes.

This is down to the fact that they don’t meet established seismic-resistant standards.

This includes around 37,000 properties across the city and its districts.

The recent approval of a municipal strategy against seismic hazards sheds light on a worrying reality: 77 per cent of residential structures built before 1997 don’t have the required design and technical specifications mandated since 2002 to reduce collapse risks during earthquakes.

Digging deeper, 46 per cent of these buildings were constructed without following any earthquake-resistant guidelines.

In comparison, 31 per cent were built before seismic codes were in place but incorporated some concrete and steel usage directives.

Elche’s situation mirrors a broader trend. Alicante, along with Murcia, is among the provinces facing the highest seismic hazards, with inadequate consideration given to the potential for building collapse during earthquakes.

Various studies conducted by the University of Alicante (UA) have underscored this concern.

Furthermore, the risk extends to Valencia and Andalusian provinces such as Almería, Granada, and Málaga, covering the entire southeastern region.