Sinkhole Closes Dog Beach Access in Playa del Carmen

Access to Beach 72, situated on 72nd Street in the Colosio neighborhood of Playa del Carmen, has been indefinitely closed due to the appearance of a sinkhole on Sunday, October 6. Irving Rafael Lili, the Director of the Federal Maritime Land Zone (Zofemat), explained that the road was artificially constructed over a mangrove area. Fill material was used to create a passage for users. However, the recent heavy rains have caused significant erosion, resulting in a large sinkhole.

This has led to restricted access to the popular Dog Beach area. Those wishing to bring their pets to the beach will now need to use alternate routes. These include the beach on 88th Street or via CTM. Despite these changes, Lili assured that pet owners can still take their animals to the designated recreation area on Beach 72.

Lili also shared that further in-depth studies of the area may be conducted to assess the stability of the land. This could involve a team of speleologists. He also suggested that one potential solution could be the construction of a bridge. This would allow beachgoers and their pets to continue to access the beach safely.