Two young German tourists, a Senegalese and a Spanish employee died in the collapse Thursday evening of a bar-restaurant located on the seafront of the very tourist island of Mallorca, in the Spanish archipelago of the Balearics, where the season is already in full swing.
“The victims are two German women aged 20 and 30, a Spanish employee aged 23 and a Senegalese man aged 44,” a police spokesperson said on Friday. According to a spokeswoman for the emergency services, 16 people were also injured.
The injured were all transferred to different hospitals in Palma, the capital of the island of Mallorca. According to Javi Bonet, first deputy mayor of Palma, the two young Germans were on vacation on the island. For his part, the Senegalese had resided in Majorca for several years, according to the local press.
Firefighters searched through the rubble for part of the night, fearing that other victims might have been trapped before ending the search. “We have completed the search and we have confirmation of 20 victims, four of whom were fatal,” said Eder García, Palma fire chief.
2nd most tourist region in Spain
The Balearic Islands, located in the Mediterranean Sea and known for their crystal clear waters and beaches, are the second most touristy region in Spain after Catalonia. In 2023, they welcomed more than 14 million tourists, according to official figures.
The archipelago, of which Majorca is the main island, is particularly popular with German and British tourists. The three-story building, the Medusa Beach Club, was a bar-restaurant-club with a first floor with a terrace and a basement. It is located on a seaside promenade in the tourist area of Playa de Palma, south of Palma.
The place was very busy at the time of the tragedy, while the tourist season is already in full swing in the Balearic Islands, an archipelago also including the islands of Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera.
Victims in the basement
Technical services are due to travel to the site on Friday to determine the causes of the collapse of the building, located on Cartago Street in Playa de Palma.
“The circumstances are currently under investigation,” but “what we know for sure is that the first floor collapsed and caused the floor” of the ground floor to collapse onto the basement, “where we found the most victims,” explained Eder García.
In a message on the social network The socialist leader had also “presented his condolences to the families of the deceased” and offered “all the necessary means and personnel” from the central State to help the regional authorities in the management of this accident.
In 2009
The president of the Balearic Islands region, Marga Prohens, said she was “shocked by the information received about the collapse” and sent her thoughts “to the families of the four people who lost their lives in this tragic accident” .
In 2009, the collapse of a three-story building in Palma de Mallorca killed seven people, including two Germans and three Colombians.
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