Drone pilot Sobrevolando Patagonia flew his first-person view drone through the abandoned tourist village, Villa Epecuén. Developed in the 1920s in the Buenos Aires Province, Villa Epecuén was one of Argentina's most popular spa towns. It was famous for the nearby Lake Epecuén, which had salt levels ten times higher than any ocean. The water was said to contain healing powers that could cure multiple diseases. For decades Villa Epecuén was a favorite getaway for Argentina's rich and famous. When the town peaked in the 1970s it had 1,500 residents and could accommodate up to 25,000 tourists.
That all changed in November of 1985 when strong winds broke the dam that separated the lake from the town. Villa Epecuén quickly flooded and everyone was evacuated. For almost 25 years the entire town was submerged under 30 feet of water. Until 2009 when the salt water began to recede and what was left of the once thriving town was revealed. Skeletons of buildings, dead trees and rusty cars were all that was left. The FPV drone footage shows the white residue left on the ruins from the high salt levels. Today, a few blocks still remain under water and the town has one sole resident, 88-year-old Pablo Novak. Tourists from all over the world travel to Villa Epecuén to photograph its remains, but this FPV drone footage shows a one-of-a-kind perspective of this once great city.