Tragedy at Playa de Palma, the most visited tourist resort on the island of Palma de Mallorca, due to the collapse that occurred in one of the most famous clubs on the coast, the Medusa Beach Club, in calle Cartago, which caused deaths and wounded. A possible overload caused by crowding on the chill out terrace is the hypothesis the fire brigade technicians are working on.
Located on the first floor, due to the excessive weight the terrace would have collapsed from a height of about four meters onto the underlying attic, which in turn collapsed, sinking into the basement, where the restaurant area of the restaurant was located, according to what he explained in statements to reporters by the head of the Palma de Mallorca fire brigade, Eder Garcia.
Most of the victims of the collapse were found in the basement, which caused at least four deaths and over 16 injuries, seven of whom were in very serious conditions and nine in critical conditions, according to the latest non-definitive toll from the emergency services. Most of them would be international tourists, although the identification is not yet confirmed. At the moment there are no Italians among the people involved in the collapse, the Farnesina has announced.
“From the noise it sounded like a bomb”, the testimony of Javier, one of the inhabitants of the area. The place, according to various residents, had been renovated “a couple of years ago”. “The collapse was very rapid and very violent”, said Raul Pursnani, owner of the Moda Meena shop, next to the Medusa Beach Club, reported by various media, including El Pais. Visibly shaken, he had no words to describe what had happened.
“It’s very sad, there were a lot of people eating and many dancing, they were on holiday and look now what a tragedy!”, he added. Among the victims, Abdulaye Diop, the young Senegalese hero who in December 2017, together with his friend Oumar M’bengue, did not hesitate to jump into the sea to save a swimmer on the verge of drowning, off the coast of Playa de Palma. At the time, Abdulaye and Oumar worked as doormen at the Black Magic nightclub. Thanks to the young Senegalese’s quick wit, the man in difficulty was brought safely to shore. Unfortunately this evening his was the first body to be identified by the medical examiner who arrived on site together with the fire brigade teams, with the emergency services ambulances, busy saving the survivors from the rubble. “90% of the time there are no other people underneath,” the rescue services told ANSA.
An investigation has been opened into the collapse. Mayor Jaime Martinez, who rushed to the scene, declared three days of mourning. In the evening, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his condolences for the “terrible collapse” with a message on the necessary means and men”.
