Passing through kilometer 24.5 of route CA-12, towards El Salvador, remains closed due to constant landslides caused by the saturation of the soil, due to the intense rains of recent days. At that point, a gas station and a shopping center were being built, a project that did not have the corresponding licenses or environmental impact studies issued by the competent authorities.
As indicated by the Minister of Communications, Miguel Ángel Díaz, at a press conference at the National Palace of Culture, now the necessary work is being carried out to enable the passage as soon as possible. For this, the required equipment and personnel have already been deployed.
Díaz also assured that It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Communications to keep the roads clear.but that, in this case, it is up to the owner of the land where the landslide occurred to carry out additional work to control the situation and guarantee the stability of the land.
“We have the responsibility of keeping the roads clear and, in the case of this highway, which is a Central American highway, we can only intervene from the edge towards 40 meters on each side. Beyond that, it is up to the owner of the land to carry out the work that is needed and, in this case, we are not going to intervene there,” said Díaz.
The minister added that, together with the ministry’s legal team, The corresponding legal actions are being analyzed to deduct responsibilities to the owner for damages and losses caused on route CA-12.
“What we are doing at this moment with our legal team is to analyze, and we are going to file a complaint for having affected the Central American Highway, which has made the free movement of goods and people impossible. We are working on it, and that is what we are going towards. We are not going to intervene beyond our powers. The rights of way must be respected, and in this case the right of way was not respected,” he pointed out.
“As of today—Friday—two thousand cubic meters of material have been removed, equivalent to two hundred truckloads of mud,” explained Díaz, who also indicated that a system of ditches is being built to prevent water from continuing to saturate the land.
He added that, on the part of the Ministry 55 people are working there, between engineers, operators and traffic regulators, and two excavators, a backhoe, four dump trucks, a tanker truck and a pick-up truck with drainage pumps have been mobilized.
Owner Responsibility
The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) continues with evaluations to determine persistent risks in the affected area. The executive secretary of the institution, Claudine Ogaldes, also reported that it is the owner of the work who must be responsible for the mitigation work.
“It is the responsibility of the owner of the work, because what happened on that stretch of road is that it left the mountain at 90 degrees, without any protection, and that was what caused the slide,” he stated.
About the owner of the land, the Municipality of Fraijanes identified him as César Érick Rolando Winter Chen, who appears in the cadastral registry as the owner of the 3,700 square meter property where the slope slide occurred, but until yesterday he has not appeared nor have the authorities located him.
The secretary of the commune, Rudy Ortiz Diéguez, indicated that they will file a criminal complaint with the Public Ministry (MP) and that they will also proceed through administrative channels against Winter Chen. The commune could impose a fine of up to Q500 thousand for not having the municipal permit or the corresponding authorization to build.
According to information from Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Winter Chen has had political participation: In 2019 he was a candidate for mayor of Fraijanes for the Fuerza party, and in 2023 he was registered as a candidate for deputy for the Central District in box two with the Nuestros party. According to data from the Guatecompras portal, it has also been a supplier to the State between 2010 and 2022.
Until now, the municipal authorities of Fraijanes reported that his whereabouts are unknown.
Other emergencies
In addition to the emergency at kilometer 24.5 of the route to El Salvador, the CIV also reports other events that are being attended to. Among these stand out the works at kilometer 11.5 towards Boca del Monte, where work is being done to stabilize the slope, and the damage to the Mocá bridge, in Suchitepéquez, where a Bailey bridge will be installed.
In recent days they have attended 458 emergencies caused by the rains throughout the country: 168 by the Road Conservation Unit (Covial) and 290 by the General Directorate of Roads, stated the Minister of Communications.