SANT LLORENÇ A 20-year-old Bolivian was killed yesterday afternoon when the wall of a hotel undergoing reform in Sant Llorenç collapsed on top of him.
Police and Guardia Civil are investigating the source of the tragedy.
The accident happened at around 3.30pm in Calle s'Estanyol at the Cala Millor Park hotel complex. Local Police said that repair work on the building had been continuing for some months.
Last Thursday, a 3.5 metre high wall was erected in the upper part of the ground floor near the reception area but there was evidence that the structure was not sufficiently stable.
Milton Otalara, an immigrant resident in Palma, was working alongside the recently built wall when suddenly, without warning, it crashed down on top of him.
Otalara was gravely injured and his work colleagues raised the alarm. Within just a few minutes, Local Police, Guardia Civil, ambulances and other Emergency services arrived at the Cala Millor Park.
They were later joined by technical experts from the regional ministry for Employment who checked that the reform work had the necessary building licenses from Sant Llorenç town hall and that all other paperwork was in order.
Guardia Civil officers took charge of the investigation whilst paramedics tried to revive the victim. In spite of their efforts, Otalara died as a result of the massive head injuries he had received.
His colleagues on the site were interviewed by investigating officers so that as much detail as possible leading up to the tragedy was officially recorded.
The Magistrate's Office in Manacor was notified of the death and a presiding judge ordered the removal of the body from the site. Within the next few days, an autopsy will be carried out on the victim.
Yesterday's tragedy follows a year-and-a-half after the collapse of a hotel annex in Cala Ratjada in which four site workers were killed. Repair work was being undertaken on the seafront building but it emerged that in the absence of proper licenses, the local town council had given an order for the work to come to a halt - an order which was ignored.