The Town That Came Back from the Lake
A spa town in Argentina was swallowed by a salt lake and lay underwater for 25 years. When the water went down, its ruined streets came back, bleached white.
What was reported
Villa Epecuén was a popular spa town on the shore of Lake Epecuén, whose salty water was believed to cure many ailments. In November 1985, after years of heavy rain, the lake broke through its defences, and the town was slowly flooded. Its residents left, and by the 1990s it lay under about 10 metres of water.
From 2009, as the lake level fell, the town began to reappear: streets, buildings and dead trees, all crusted white with salt. For years, one elderly former resident lived alone near the ruins and welcomed visitors.
Explanations offered
The flood was caused by unusual rainfall and by water management in the region. The ruins are now a tourist attraction and have been used as a film location. The salt has preserved the scene eerily.
- When
- Flooded in 1985; re-emerged from 2009
- Where
- Villa Epecuén, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Witnesses
- Former residents and visitors
- Status
- A real place
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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