Investigators on the Spanish island of Mallorca are looking into whether overloading and structural issues caused the collapse of a beachfront restaurant and club, killing four people and injuring 16 others.
The two-storey Medusa Beach Club in Palma de Mallorca collapsed at about 8.30pm local time (7.30pm BST) on Thursday night. One firefighter told the local newspaper Última Hora he had arrived to find a “nightmarish” scene, with people screaming and crying and rubble piled high on the ground floor.
Spain’s Policía Nacional said on Friday that those who had died were a 23-year-old Spanish woman who worked at the club, two female German tourists in their 20s, and a Senegalese man aged 44. Local media said the Senegalese man and a compatriot had rescued a swimmer from drowning in December 2017, winning him a police medal the following year.
All of the 16 people injured were Dutch, according to a spokesperson for Palma council. The city’s mayor said eight injured people were still in hospital on Friday and were all out of danger.
A spokesperson for German’s foreign ministry said its consulate in Mallorca was in close contact with authorities.
“The situation on the ground is still partly unclear,” the spokesperson said. “At this point in time, we unfortunately have to assume that German nationals are among the dead and injured.”
As Palma’s council declared three days of mourning, experts said they were trying to determine the cause of the accident. “Investigations are still ongoing, but everything points to a combination of an outdated structure and excess weight,” said Eder García, Palma’s chief firefighter.
A police spokesperson added: “The terrace has come down, probably due to excessive weight.”
Santiago Aranga, who was walking his dog across the street from the venue at the time of the accident, said he heard a boom that sounded “like a bomb”.
“There was screaming, crying, hysterics,” he told the television station Trece.
Most people in the area were German tourists and “it was very difficult to try to calm them down, to pull people out in another language. I don’t understand or speak German,” he said.
Another local resident, Vicky García, said the venue had only recently reopened after being refurbished. “We heard a roar, then a lot of police, a lot of firefighters, a lot of commotion,” she told the local television channel IB3.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was closely monitoring the “consequences of the awful collapse that’s happened on a Palma beach” and promised to send any necessary help and resources. “I want to send my condolences to the relatives of the people who have died and my wishes for a swift recovery to those who were injured,” he said.
Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic islands regional government, said she was shocked to hear of the collapse.
“Sending all my affection and warmth to the families of the four people who lost their lives in this tragic incident and wishing the recovery of all the injured,” she posted on X on Thursday night. “Thanks to all the emergency services that have moved to the scene and continue to work there.”
Palma de Mallorca is a popular tourist resort and is the capital of the western Mediterranean island. May is the beginning of the tourist season in the area. Mallorca is one of Spain’s Balearic islands, which more than 14 million tourists visited last year, according to official figures.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed there were no reports of British nationals being involved in the collapse. It said: “We are aware of an incident in Palma, and there are currently no reports of British nationals having been involved. We remain in contact with the Spanish authorities.”
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
