Four people were killed and sixteen injured when a two-story restaurant on the Spanish island of Majorca collapsed, according to local rescue services, sparking a frantic hunt for survivors.
At the location of the Medusa Beach Club, a beachfront restaurant in one of the busiest districts of Palma de Majorca, the regional capital, several persons are said to be buried under debris.
According to police, the casualties include a Senegalese man named Abdoulaye Diop, two German ladies, and a Spanish male. In 2017, Diop gained national attention when he saved a man who was having trouble in waters off the coast of Majorca.
On Thursday night, at around 20:30 local time (19:30 BST), the building collapsed. Individuals fell into the lower level, where patrons and employees were present.
Although investigations are ongoing, police claim that “excessive weight” was the reason the terrace collapsed. Silence is being asked while rescue personnel search for survivors.
The scene was characterized as “nightmarish” by a firefighter to the local daily Ultima Hora. He continued by saying that as his team got there, people were standing around the debris on the ground, sobbing and yelling.
Owner of Moda Meena, a fashion business on Cartago Street next to the restaurant, Raúl Pursnami said he watched the incident happen.
“I can hardly even speak. There were people eating, they were on vacation and now look what happened,” he stated.
According to what his colleagues informed local media, Diop, 44, had just left a neighboring gym and was enjoying his morning coffee at the café when it collapsed.
He received widespread recognition in 2017 for saving a man at Playa de Palma who had fallen into the water and was having difficulties getting back to land.
“It was two degrees and the water was freezing, but when you see a person in that situation you act without thinking to save their life,” he said.
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According to officials, psychologists will be dispatched to the area to assist anybody affected by the tragedy.
Rescue workers are operating under the assumption that there are still individuals trapped after one man with a broken arm was extracted from the wreckage.
The capital of the Balearic Islands, Palma, has declared three days of mourning through its City Council. Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, offered the relatives of the victims his sympathies.
He declared that his administration was prepared to provide all necessary support and that he was actively monitoring all recent developments.
Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic Islands, expressed her horror at the occurrence and her sympathies to the families of the victims.
Ms. Prohens expressed her gratitude to Mr. Sánchez for his assistance and to the emergency services. The largest of Spain’s Mediterranean Balearic Islands is Majorca.
Over 17 million visitors visited the island in the previous year.
