A landslide on the Morro da Forca hill struck two historic mansions in the historical center of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, this morning, completely destroying them. The buildings were listed by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan). Minutes before the tragedy, the area had been evacuated, and there were no casualties.
According to Iphan, the oldest mansion, dating back to the 19th century, was known as Solar Baeta Neves. It was built by a traditional merchant family on the banks of the Funil Creek, near the Railway Station—the fastest-developing area in Ouro Preto before the state capital was transferred to Belo Horizonte. "This was the city's first Neocolonial-style building," commented Mayor Angelo Oswaldo, and was one of the properties restored by the Monumenta Program, a partnership between the Institute and the Municipality of Ouro Preto. The restoration project, which received R$ 373.5 thousand in funding, was completed in 2010. The second destroyed building was a privately owned yellow house that served as a warehouse.
According to reports by the newspaper Estado de Minas, "firefighters were called around 8:30 AM to inspect the site. During this time, due to the structural issues found, the entire area was evacuated. Shortly after, around 9:10 AM, the collapse occurred."
The situation in Ouro Preto was already being monitored, according to Lieutenant Colonel Gracielle Rodrigues Santos, deputy coordinator of the Minas Gerais Civil Defense. According to her, meetings had been held with the municipal agency, security authorities, and engineers from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP) to map risk areas and draft a contingency plan. "Thus, once geologists and technicians mapped out the areas with potential landslide risks, preventive evacuations began for residents living near those sites or very close to the slopes under monitoring," she stated.
Following the landslide, Civil Defense also advised all nearby residents to evacuate their homes. The Homeless Workers' Movement warns that in the Taquaral neighborhood alone, more than 300 families are at risk due to landslides triggered by the heavy rains of recent days.
Less than a week ago, on January 7, another 300-year-old mansion listed by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage was partially destroyed by heavy rains in Ouro Preto. The property was already in a severe state of disrepair when it was acquired by the municipality just a few months ago, local officials told G1.
With information from Estado de Minas, G1, and Mídia Ninja.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
