Newspaper Jornal de Notícias (JN) reports that, while authorities say there are currently no spots on any of the region’s beaches that are off limits, warning signage is in place and awareness-raising campaigns are being staged. Nonetheless, many beachgoers still choose to ignore these warnings and sit under the cliffs even when they are flagged as unsafe. This despite the tragic incident in 2009 on Albufeira’s Maria Luísa beach, in which five people from Porto were crushed to death after a section of cliff face collapsed onto them.
Sebastião Teixeira, head of the Regional Hydrographical Board (ARHA), told JN that this past winter there were more landslides on the Algarve’s beaches than normal, and even though these were small rock falls, an overall seafront area of 189 metres was affected, when the average expanse is of 120 metres, during winter.
In comments to Lusa News Agency, Ana Vidigal, Albufeira councillor for Civil Protection, said “It is fundamental that people understand and are aware that cliffs can be unstable, and they should not sit beneath them for their own safety.”
In August last year another section of overhanging cliff-face disintegrated onto Albufeira’s Maria Luísa beach, causing panic and echoing the fatal incident on that very same beach seven years earlier.
Experts said last year’s incident was significantly bigger than the 2009 event, and thankfully no injuries were reported.
According to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), around 1,000 tonnes of rock fell in last August’s incident, or 400 cubic metres, whereas in 2009, 140 cubic metres of rock
crumbled.
And earlier this year, in April, several tonnes of rock crumbled from a cliff in Armação de Pêra, onto the sand below.
Last year more than 70 sections of cliffs framing the Algarve’s beaches were flagged as unstable, with warning signs being posted on them, and at the entrances to beaches.