In 1985, a tourist village in Argentina named Villa Epecuén was flooded by a salty lake that broke through a dam. Now, 30 years after the town flooded, Villa Epecuén has reemerged and people cannot get enough of the Argentine ghost town. Who wants to take a trip?
Here you can see Villa Epecuén before and after the flood.
Villa Epecuén antes y despues de 30 años de su trágica inundación. #Argentina #Epecuen pic.twitter.com/17qohiFBYV
— Mercedes Noriega (@MechiNoriega) November 12, 2015
Credit: @MechiNoriega / Twitter
On the left, you have pre-flood Epecuén. O the right, you have Epecuén today.
The flooded city was once a tourist resort town. It had a railroad that made it easier to travel there.
Credit: @baroni.nicolas / Instagram
Epecuén was built in the 1920s, and by the ’70s, it’s population was over 5,000.
After years of unusually heavy rainfall around the area, Lago Epecuén broke a natural dam and slowly flooded the town.
Epecuén, el pueblo turístico que desapareció en una inundación hace 30 años http://t.co/k6FxIwX2Ex pic.twitter.com/lqVKd2NyT7
— Bigbangnews (@bigbangnw) August 13, 2015
Credit: @bigbangnw / Twitter
And for the next 30 years, the village about 300 miles southwest of Buenos Aires, was submerged.
The water first started to recede slowly in 2009.
Nella «città fantasma» di Villa Epecuén: riemersa dopo 25 anni https://t.co/WUazMHuSWX pic.twitter.com/v4gg8y16kG
— Corriere della Sera (@Corriere) December 14, 2015
Credit: @Corriereit / Twitter
Like, veeerrry slowly.
Now, the city is almost completely dried out and people are exploring the modern ghost town that was once full of life.
"Epecuén: The Argentine Town That Drowned". Great story by @Danieltunnard for @hellomeetjune. pic.twitter.com/KqucFjD1HX
— Remi Lehmann (@remilehmann) November 23, 2015
Credit: @remilehmann / Twitter
READ: Drought in Mexico Exposes a 16th Century Church
People are using the ghost town for photo shoots…
Credit: @jmatviu / Instagram
…and epic day trips with amazing photos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/-7OPqYQ0Id/
Credit: @framkito11 / Instagram
The town now resembles a post-apocalyptic landscape.
Credit: @gulf_news / Twitter
It’s kind of like looking at a war zone with all the damage and decay to the buildings and trees.
Now, that the village has resurfaced, it has returned to being a tourist destination.
Credit: @saludyecologia / Twitter
For a completely different reason, but what ever works, right?
Official placards are set throughout the village telling the story of the flood.
#Fotografía Epecuén, 30 años después https://t.co/ZicsKnLVsb pic.twitter.com/jV7qkP6GsB
— #Marcha5Años (@MarchaOrgAr) November 13, 2015
Credit: @MarchaOrgA / Twitter
And apparently some kind of electricity to light up the landmarks in the dark.
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But there is one man who calls it home. Meet Pablo Novak.
Conoce a Pablo Novak, el hombre más solitario de Argentinahttp://t.co/Qq1cJGhY33 pic.twitter.com/yGA8VRoQEn
— JuanLo Simental (@juanlosimental) July 9, 2015
Credit: @juanlosimental / Twitter
Novak left when the water originally flooded the town.
20 years later, when the town was still flooded Novak moved back and enjoyed the town, even finding an old bottle of whiskey he decided to drink.
#Ahora La entrevista a Pablo Novak, el único habitante de Villa Lago Epecuén, el pueblo que emergió de las aguas. pic.twitter.com/KrT7z0joxL
— De Ida y de Vuelta (@IdayVuelta917) August 8, 2015
Credit: @IdayVuelta917 / Twitter
“I got back here to stay with my cattle. And I never left again,” Novak told CNN.
“I thought they were going to rebuild the town, considering its fame, but no one got the motivation to do so,” Novak told CNN.
Villa Epecuén http://t.co/lRXyfP1C2u #Imágenes #Lugares #MuyInteresante http://t.co/JL2NGq5xlC pic.twitter.com/ilDSFUgPnX
— TncMx (@TncMx) September 23, 2015
Credit: @TncMx / Twitter
And he says that today he just enjoys being able to walk around the ruins of his home town.
