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Three days of mourning have been declared for the four people who died on Thursday evening after the upper terrace at a Playa de Palma restaurant collapsed. The four people who lost their lives are a Senegalese citizen who worked as a doorman in Playa de Palma, another local worker (Spanish, aged 23) and two German female tourists aged 20 and 30. Some 25 other people were injured, seven of whom are said to be in a very serious condition. The Senegalese man had been honoured by the police a few years ago for saving a German tourist who got into difficulties while swimming in the Playa de Palma. He received a medal from the local police. At the time police said that he had acted like a hero.
One of the largest emergency operations in Mallorca in recent years was mounted after reports of the collapse at the Medusa Beach Club around 8.20pm. The terrace, a chill-out zone, fell onto the ground floor, part of which also gave way and collapsed into the basement.
When the first emergency crews arrived, they were confronted by debris that was piled high. There were people crying and shouting for help. A Palma firefighter said "it was horrendous". Around 10pm, as the rescue teams searched for anyone trapped under the rubble, people on the C. Cartago were asked to be silent.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez phoned President Marga Prohens and the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, to express his condolences. First thing on Friday, town hall technicians will assess the structure and advise whether or not adjacent buildings are safe.
The National Police are in charge of the investigation, and Palma town hall will be checking on the restaurant's permits. The one hypothesis at present is that the terrace collapsed because of excess weight.