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All Argentina Carhué Villa Epecuen

Villa Epecuen

Once swallowed by flood waters, this village has emerged as an eerie shadow of its former self.

Carhué, Argentina

Added By
Rachel James
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Villa Epecuen   Rafote27 on Wiki
Villa Epecuen   Rafote27 on Wiki
Villa Epecuen   Pablo Gonzalez on Flickr
Villa Epecuen   Santiago matamoro on Wiki
The slaughterhouse at Villa Epecuen   Santiago matamoro on Wiki
Villa Epecuen   Santiago matamoro on Wiki
Villa Epecuen   Pablo Gonzalez on Flickr
Villa Epecuen   Pablo Gonzalez on Flickr
Villa Epecuen   Marinka1946 on Wiki
Confitería Coradini   guadaatenea / Atlas Obscura User
Old waterpark by the lake   guadaatenea / Atlas Obscura User
Old coast road connecting nearby Carhué with Epecuén   guadaatenea / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the 1920's, Villa Epecuén and its delightful salt lake were a popular tourist retreat for Buenos Aires vacationers.

Arriving by train, as many as 5,000 visitors at a time could relax in lavish quarters after taking advantage of the therapeutic waters of Lago Epecuén. The mountain lake was unusual in that its waters were saltier than any ocean—in fact, it was second only to the Dead Sea in salt content, and people suffering from depression, diabetes, and everything in-between came to soak in its healing waters—the very waters that would eventually harbor the village's ruin. 

In what can only be described as a freak occurrence, a rare weather pattern developed over Villa Epecuen in 1985, causing a seiche (standing wave) in the lake. The seiche broke a dam and then shoved its way through the dike. While the devastation was slow, it was thorough—the inevitable flood gradually devoured the entire village, submerging it under more than 30 ft. of briny waters. 280 businesses and countless personal dwellings disappeared under the surface like a modern-day Atlantis.

It wasn't until 2009 that drier weather allowed the waters to retreat enough for the town to reemerge. The damage total, the village was deemed a disaster area offering no incentive to rebuild. What remains now is an eerie ghost town with rows and rows of dead, naked trees, decrepit buildings, and an entire landscape seemingly bleached out and stripped to the bone by the once-healing salt waters that ravaged everything in sight.

Related Tags

Underwater Disaster Areas Abandoned Salt Water

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Edited By

Blindcolour, guadaatenea

  • Blindcolour
  • guadaatenea

Published

June 11, 2014

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Epecuén
  • http://www.vice.com/read/the-underwater-tourist-town
  • http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/12/villa-epecuen-town-that-was-submerged.html
Villa Epecuen
Acceso A Carhué
Carhué
Argentina
-37.130833, -62.8075
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Argentina

Argentina

South America

Places 77
Stories 29

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Argentina

Argentina

South America

Places 77
Stories 29

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