four dead in restaurant collapse on Majorca island

Four people died after the roof of a restaurant collapsed on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca on Thursday (May 23), emergency services said. Furthermore, there is “21 injured to varying degrees”, a spokesperson for the emergency services of this tourist archipelago in the Balearic Islands told Agence France-Presse (AFP). People from “several nationalities” are among the victims, she said, without being able to provide more details.

Seven of the injured are in serious condition ” very serious “ and new are in good condition ” severe “specified, for their part, the emergency services in a message on X. “They were transferred to different hospitals in Palma”the capital of the island of Mallorca, they added.

The tragedy occurred at the end of the day in the tourist area of ​​Playa de Palma, in the south of the city of Palma de Mallorca, when “the roof of a two-story building” housing a restaurant, collapsed, explained the spokesperson. It is located by the sea, on an avenue with shops and leisure establishments.

Many firefighters were deployed on the scene while ambulances transported the injured to the hospital, an AFP photographer noted on site. Rescue services “continue to work on site” to check if victims are not still trapped under the rubble, they said. The street was cordoned off by police to allow rescuers to work.

Reasons for collapse unknown

The reasons for the collapse of this restaurant are currently unknown, but according to witnesses cited by local media, the roof collapsed on part of the first floor.

This area was very busy at the end of the day when the tourist season is already in full swing in the Balearic Islands, an archipelago also including the islands of Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera.

In a message onSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “follow closely the consequences of the terrible collapse that occurred on Palma beach”. The socialist leader also “expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased” and offered “all necessary means and personnel” of the central State to help the regional authorities in the management of this accident.

The Balearic Islands, known for their crystal clear waters and beaches, are Spain’s second largest tourist destination 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.

In 2009, the collapse of a three-story building in Palma de Mallorca killed seven people, including two Germans and three Colombians.