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Spain: Four dead and 16 injured after the collapse of a restaurant in Palma de Mallorca

Among the injured people in Palma de Mallorca, seven are "very serious" condition while another nine listed as "serious."

Imagen del derrumbe de una terraza en Palma de Mallorca el pasado jueves, 23 de mayo de 2024. El suceso terminó con cuatro muertos y 21 heridos.

(Cordon Press)

Published by
Rosana Rábago Sainz AFP

(AFP / Voz Media) The collapse of the roof of a restaurant in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Thursday caused the death of four people as well as another 16 injuries. According to emergency services, the Beach Club Medusa, located in the coastal area of Playa de Palma, in the Balearic Islands, suffered the collapse of the "roof of a two-story building."

This caused four deaths and 16 injuries. Of them, emergency services clarified through a statement on X, seven are "very serious" while another nine are in "serious" condition. All of them have been "transferred to various hospital centers in Palma," stated the medical services:

Update on the information on the people affected by the demolition of the building on Cartago Street in Playa de Palma: 4 people dead, 7 very seriously injured and 9 seriously injured. All of them have been transferred to various hospital centers in Palma.

The injured people, stated the emergency spokesman for the Balearic Islands, are "of various nationalities" although, he could not give details about their origin or identify them. Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that three of the deceased are men and the last is a woman, although their identities will not be revealed to the public until the families have been notified, the same as with the wounded. Although all the victims were identified, emergency services announced that they will wait for their loved ones to be informed before giving any details.

Too much weight on the terrace, the possible cause of the collapse in Palma de Mallorca

The cause of the collapse is also being investigated. The first investigations indicate that the event could have been caused by having too much weight on the terrace. In the Balearic Islands, Spain's second-most popular tourist destination after Catalonia, the high season has already begun, and it is common to see many establishments at the limit of their capacity.

Specifically, said Palma Fire Chief Eder García, initial hypotheses claim that the terrace on the second floor collapsed. The impact was so strong that the ground floor, where several customers were dining, could not withstand the weight and also collapsed, with all the debris falling to the basement.

The event was described as "Dantesque," by a firefighter in statements collected by AFP. Furthermore, the expert assured that he arrived at the scene and found several people crying and screaming around the rubble.

Spanish authorities respond to the collapse

Spanish authorities did not take long to react. The first to do so was Balearic Islands President Marga Prohens. She, through a post on X, assured that she was "shocked by the information" that reached her about the collapse:

Shocked by the information that I have received about the collapse of Playa de Palma. I convey all my love and warmth to the families of the four people who lost their lives in this tragic incident and wish the recovery of all those injured. Thanks to all the emergency forces that have traveled to the scene and continue working, @Emergencies_112, @BombersPalma, @policiadepalma and @SAMU061IB

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez assured that he was monitoring "closely the consequences of the terrible collapse that occurred on the beach of Palma" and that he was in contact with both Prohens and the Mallorca Mayor Jaime Martinez:

I am closely following the consequences of the terrible collapse that occurred on the beach of Palma. I just spoke with the president @MargaProhens and with the mayor of the city, @JaimeMartinez to whom I have conveyed the willingness of the Government of Spain to collaborate with all the means and troops that are necessary. I want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and my wish for a speedy recovery to the injured.

The leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, also spoke with Prohens. He expressed his "concern about the collapse" and sent his condolences "to the affected families," as well as his "support for the emergency teams that continue working":

I just got off the phone with @MargaProhens to convey my concern about the landslide that has claimed the lives of 4 people. From the @ppopular we send our condolences to the affected families and our support to the emergency teams that continue to work.
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