Holidaymakers and locals were enjoying their Thursday evening dancing at a Majorcan bar – when “screams, wailing and crying” were heard as the building collapsed, turning the busy beach resort into a bloodbath.
Emergency services and rescue teams have been working at the scene of the Medusa Beach Club in Palma since the tragedy unfolded at around 8.30pm, leaving four dead, 16 injured and more feared trapped under the rubble.
Spain’s National Police said on Friday that two young German women, aged 20 and 30, were among those killed at the popular tourist restaurant, along with a 33-year-old Spanish woman, who worked in the club, and a 44-year-old Senegalese man.
He was named by Majorca Daily Bulletin as Abdoulaye Diop, a doorman in Playa de Palma, who was a regular at Medusa Beach Club and had gone in to have a coffee.
Of the 16 who were injured, five were said to be in a serious condition, but their lives were no longer in danger by midday on Friday, according to the local mayor.
Officials said that 14 of the wounded were Dutch, with 11 of those in hospital and three released, while there were no immediate details on the nationalities of the other two people who were also released. It was not clear if they were all tourists or some were residents.
The Independent understands the UK Foreign Office has not received any reports of British nationals involved in the fatal incident, but it is in contact with Spanish authorities.
Santiago Aranda, a resident who was walking his dog at the time of the incident, told La Linterna: “I don’t have words to describe it. It was an explosion, and we were in the street opposite … Some ran in the opposite direction and others towards the dust.” Mr Aranda said he stayed to help “get people out” amid “screams, wailing and crying”.
Local resident Francisco Nogales said that after the incident there was the sound of “crying, you heard the people crying”.
The mayor said that emergency services had to call on people in the street to try to stay quiet so that they might hear any calls for help from survivors.
Public television on the Balearic Islands, IB3, reported that there were people dancing on the terrace of the two-storey building, which collapsed onto the floor below, damaging the street-level floor as well as a disco area in the basement.
Palma mayor Jaime Martinez and firefighter department spokesman Eder Garcia told reporters that excess weight on a first-floor terrace may have caused the collapse. Garcia later added that the age of the building, which was not given, might also have been a factor.
However, no official cause has yet been determined. Police and firefighters were inspecting the building on Friday to try to ascertain the causes of the collapse.
The incident came just one day after Medusa Beach Club promoted its new rooftop terrace, posting a photograph of it on Instagram, alongside the caption: “Totally different, new rooftop.”
The city declared three days of mourning, and a minute of silence was observed at noon on Friday.
Marga Prohens, president of the Balearic Islands, said she was “shocked” to hear of the tragedy.
“All my affection and warmth to the families of the four people who lost their lives in this tragic incident and wishing the recovery of all the injured,” she said.
In the wake of the incident, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X: “I am closely following the consequences of the terrible collapse that occurred on the beach of Palma.”
Mr Sanchez said he had spoken to local and regional authorities, adding the government was ready to help “with all the means and troops that are necessary”.
“I want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and my wish for a speedy recovery to the injured,” he said.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
