An important building linked to Generalitat, which houses Labora’s employment services headquarters in Ibi, and the nearby Sepe office in the Community of Valencia, suffered a partial collapse in the early hours of Sunday. The incident caused significant property damage but no injuries were reported. The event occurred around 5:30 in the morning on San Juan Bosco street, where the collapsed wing of the structure stood, and the surrounding rubble has since been cleared. Fortunately, the debris did not reach nearby homes, pedestrians, or passing vehicles, averting a potential tragedy.
During the afternoon, debris continued to blanket the street, nearly burying a parked car that had sustained heavy damage; another vehicle nearby was less affected. Police sources said a neighbor woke up to a loud crash and saw from his window that part of the Labora and Sepe building had given way. Residents of other homes reported that the collapse did not provoke noticeable activity in their interiors, though emergency services responded rapidly. A patrol unit accompanied by firefighters confirmed that there were no casualties.
Image captions note that the scene was captured at around 5:30 a.m., shortly after the collapse occurred.
Officials identified Eva Hernández, the managing director of Labora Planning and Services, and Pere Beneyto, head of Sepe in the Community of Valencia, who inspected the site alongside the mayor of the city, Rafael Serralta, and staff from the technical and operations teams. Hernández explained that nine months earlier a broken beam had been identified and repaired, but three months ago new cracks appeared, prompting the evacuation of that wing of the building. The portion of the property where staff interact with the public was not affected by the collapse at this time. A technical report arrived on Friday indicating the building’s state, but no time had been allocated for a thorough inspection. The property is now entirely out of use, and temporary headquarters are being sought until a permanent solution can be decided. As noted by the head of Sepe in the Community, Monday will see customers served at the door, and by Tuesday most will likely be redirected to the nearest office, the Alcoy location. The Labora and Sepe offices in Ibi serve Castalla and Onil; the three municipalities together have about 40,000 residents.
Temporary arrangements in a town hall
The mayor of Ibi and the leadership team accompanied Hernández and Beneyto to discuss provisional spaces. The old Pilen factory, which currently functions as the town hall and a meeting place for various associations, is expected to host the temporary Labora and Sepe offices. Serralta indicated this setup is anticipated. On Sunday, municipal workers began removing the rubble, and San Juan Bosco street was planned to reopen on Monday. Once access is reestablished, residents will be able to reach their homes with caution.
Images show debris and damaged vehicles along San Juan Bosco street around noon, underscoring the scale of the disruption.
Antonio García, a neighbour living opposite the collapsed structure, described hearing a strange noise at about 5:30 and then voices in the street. At that moment he was asleep and could not identify the sound, but local police soon arrived to ensure there were no injuries. The collapse revealed the extent of the damage, with rubble left outside several houses and some stones falling onto nearby rooftops. García expressed frustration with the situation, noting that if the collapse had occurred on a Monday morning, the consequences could have been far worse given the weekday traffic near the building’s gateway. Nearby, in another wing of the same building, lies the headquarters for the Foia de Castalla Entrepreneurs Association (Ibiae). The facility was originally built in the 1960s and has undergone multiple reforms and expansions over the years.