Villa Epecuén

After nearly 25 years under water, the village started coming back to the surface.

Villa Epecuén was a tourist village that was located on the shore of the Epecuén Lake in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. In 1985 the waters broke through an earthen dam, flooding the village that was then submerged for nearly 25 years.

History
Villa Epecuén was established in early 1920s. Tourism was well developed, as vacationers from Buenos Aires would seek the therapeutic salty waters of Epecuén Lake. At its height, Villa Epecuén had the capacity to accommodate 5,000 visitors, while unofficial accommodations allowed 2000 more. At its peak, the town reached a population of 1,500 inhabitants.

The flood
On 6 November 1985, a seiche caused by a rare weather pattern broke a nearby dam first and then the dike protecting the town. Rapidly the town became uninhabitable. Waters were progressively increasing, reaching up to 10 metres at its maximum. The village was never rebuilt.

Villa Epecuén today
Nearly 25 years later, in 2009, the wet weather reversed and the waters began to recede. Villa Epecuén started coming back to the surface but there are mostly building wrecks, rusting vehicles and trunks of dead trees to see. No one returned back to the town, except 81-year-old Pablo Novak who was then Villa Epecuen’s sole resident.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Epecu%C3%A9n and http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/12/villa-epecuen-town-that-was-submerged.html (also images source)