Villa Epecuen was once a popular Argentinian spa town and resort on the shore of a salt lake south of Buenos Aires, but this came to an end on 10 November 1985, when the town was flooded. After a period of heavy rains, the lake overflowed and surged through the retaining wall built to protect the town. Residents and tourists were forced to evacuate as homes and buildings were submerged under almost 10m (33ft) of salt water.
Now, 30 years after it was flooded, the water has evaporated, and the drowned town has risen from the waters. Villa Epecuen has become a popular tourist attraction again, as people come to take in the eerie apocalyptic atmosphere. IBTimes UK presents photos of this real-life Atlantis.
An information board in front of a damaged house shows what it looked like before and during the floodEnrique Marcarian/ReutersA man compares a picture of Epecuen taken in the 1970s with the same scene in May 2011Juan Mabromata/AFPPostcard photos thought to be taken in 1980 show tourists holidaying in EpecuenA photo of a street in Epecuen during the flooding eventThe wall that was meant to protect the town from flooding is seen in this aerial photo taken in 2011Juan Mabromata/AFPAn aerial photo taken in May 2011 shows some water remaining in the villageJuan Mabromata/AFPThe town's lone inhabitant Pablo Novak, aged 85, rides his bike past a ruined houseEnrique Marcarian/ReutersThe town's sole inhabitant Pablo Novak is pictured in his kitchen in May 2011Juan Mabromata/AFPMirta Estoessel sits on the rubble of her former homeEnrique Marcarian/ReutersViviana Castro places a plaque with the name of the former owner on a ruined house in EpecuenEnrique Marcarian/ReutersAn information board in front of a damaged house shows what it looked like in the 1970sEnrique Marcarian/ReutersA rusty car is pictured in the former spa and resort townEnrique Marcarian/ReutersDead trees are pictured in the mud and salty water at sunsetEnrique Marcarian/ReutersA shoe is seen embedded in the mudEnrique Marcarian/ReutersMay 2011: Sunlight glints on the receding flood waterJuan Mabromata/AFPA rusty old car rises from the water in this photo taken in May 2011Juan Mabromata/AFPWater-damaged crucifixes are seen in the formerly-flooded cemetery in Carhue, near EpecuenJuan Mabromata/AFPA broken toilet is seen amid the ruins of a collapsed building in May 2011Juan Mabromata/AFPRusty beds are seen poking through the ruins of the village in 2011Juan Mabromata/AFPA photo taken in May 2011 shows a skull in a damaged grave in a cemetery that was flooded in Carhue, near Lago EpecuenJuan Mabromata/AFPPhoto taken in May 2011 shows stairways that have re-emergedJuan Mabromata/AFP
In 2014, Scottish street trials cyclist Danny MacAskill visited Villa Epecuen and performed stunts among the ruins:
