'Foreign tourists' among victims after Majorca beach bar collapsed 'one day after unveiling new roof terrace'

24 May 2024, 07:58

Most of the victims of the beach bar collapse in Majorca which left four dead and 16 injured are foreign tourists, it emerged today.

Emergency workers raced to the Medusa Beach Club in the popular Playa de Palma resort on Thursday evening to a scene of devastation.

A terrace of the two-storey bar is believed to have collapsed through to the basement, leaving only the facade standing.

It emerged today that venue had unveiled a new rooftop bar just a day earlier.

The beach club posted on Instagram with the caption: “Totally different. New rooftop.”

There are fears as many as 10 people could still be trapped under the rubble.

Two of the four people who died in the collapse have been described as female tourists.

Nine people were “seriously injured” and seven suffered “very serious” injuries in the drama around 8pm.

Eder Garcia, head of the Palma Fire Brigade, said overnight: “The names of the victims including the survivors and their degrees of injury are known.

“There are several nationalities and what we know is that most are not from Palma.

“A lot of the names are foreign names but we don’t know yet whether they include staff who were working there or whether they were visitors but we expect many will be tourists.”

He said: “We received the first call around 8pm.

“The first floor terrace has collapsed, probably due to excess weight although it’s still under investigation, and it’s impacted on an arch below which has also come down and affected the basement where there was a table football table and there were people eating.”

Three women and a man are confirmed to be among the victims.

The man has been named locally as Abdoulaye Diop, a Senegalese migrant living in Majorca and working as a nightclub doorman. He is understood to have stopped off at the bar after going to the gym.

Public television for the Balearic Islands, IB3, reported there were people dancing on a terrace that collapsed on top of another floor underneath.

A spokesman for a regional emergency response coordination centre said: “We have activated an emergency response as a result of the collapse of the ceiling of a two-storey building in Avenida Cartago in Playa de Palma, where people are trapped.”

Humphrey Carter from the Majorca Daily Bulletin told LBC: “[There's a] massive police presence, ambulances, it’s been a complete shock - a huge shock. I mean the Balearic president’s been down there, it’s really taken everyone completely by surprise. It’s quite a serious accident, it’s shocked everyone in Majorca.”

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Photos taken at the scene show emergency services evacuating people from the building, with some being carried out on stretchers to ambulances waiting outside.

The Foreign Office says there aren't any reports of British people caught up in the incident last night.

Humphrey Carter's from the Majorca Daily Bulletin and told LBC it's rocked the local community.

"There's a massive police presence, ambulances.

He added it's been a "huge shock" which has taken "everyone by surprise".

Marga Prohens, President of the Balearic Islands, wrote on X: “Shocked by the information I received about the collapse of Platja de Palma.

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“Sending 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.”

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, wrote on X: “I am closely following the consequences of the terrible landslide that occurred on the beach of Palma.”

He added: “I want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and my wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.”

No cause has been given for the collapse of the building.

Emergency services are continuing to search the site and attend the wounded.