Around 8 p.m. Thursday, May 23, 2024, the roof of a bar-restaurant, the Medusa Beach Club, located on the Spanish island of Mallorca, collapsed. According to the latest count relayed by theFrance Media Agency (AFP), four people died, and sixteen were injured. Seven of the injured were in a “very serious condition” according to emergency services, the other nine being in a state ” severe “. They were all “transferred to different hospitals in Palma”capital of the island.
All night, emergency services searched through the rubble, fearing that more victims might be trapped. The search is now over, as Palma fire chief Eder García confirmed on Balearic public television IB3. Here’s what we know about the drama.
Two German women, a Senegalese and a Spanish woman died
Eder García announced the presence of “several nationalities” among the victims. “What we can indicate is that the majority (of the victims) are foreigners and not residents of Palma”, he added. A police spokesperson told theAFP that the four people killed are “two German women aged 20 and 30, a Spanish employee aged 23 and a Senegalese man aged 44”.
The Senegalese had been living in Majorca for several years, as a nightclub bouncer, according to the local press. In 2018, he was decorated by the local police, details El Mundo . He had rescued a man who was unable to get out of the water, in Playa de Palma.
Mallorca being in the Spanish Balearic archipelago, the island is part of the second most touristy region in Spain, after Catalonia. 14 million tourists visited the islands in 2023. According to Javi Bonet, first deputy mayor of Palma, the two young German women were on vacation on the island.
Stuck in the basement
The building is located in the tourist area of Playa de Palma, south of the capital. It had 3 floors, with a bar and a restaurant in the basement.
This Friday, technical services must travel to the site to determine the causes of the collapse. “The circumstances are currently under investigation”explained Eder Garcia. “What we know for sure is that the first floor collapsed and caused the floor to collapse.” of the ground floor on the “basement, where we found the most victims”.
The first hypotheses announced by Eder García suggest that the terrace could not support the weight of the customers.
Three days of mourning after a “terrible collapse”
Immediately after the announcement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez “expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased”. He also indicated in a message published on the social network “all necessary means and personnel” of the central State to help the regional authorities in the management of this accident.
The president of the Balearic Islands region, Marga Prohens, declared “shocked by the information received about the collapse” and addressed his thoughts “to the families of the four people who lost their lives in this tragic incident”. Palma town hall has declared 3 days of mourning and a minute of silence will be honored this Friday.
