Disaster on popular tourist beach

Tragedy on the Ballermann: At least four people died in the collapse of a crowded restaurant on the Playa de Palma on Mallorca on Thursday evening. According to the police, 16 injured people were taken to hospital. Seven of the injured were in a critical condition, they said. The nine others were all seriously injured but out of danger.

According to the Mallorcan authorities, one man and three women were killed. It was not initially known whether Swiss nationals were among those affected. The head of the Palma fire brigade, Eder García, said that most of those affected were probably foreigners. One of the women who died worked at the restaurant, various media outlets reported.

The accident happened right on the beach, just a few streets away from the cult pubs Megapark and Bierkönig. The Medusa Beach Club building collapsed at around 8.30 pm. According to media reports, the first floor immediately collapsed down to the basement, where a large number of guests were having dinner. An initial investigation revealed that the overloading of the first floor was a possible cause of the collapse, said fire chief García.

Early on Friday morning, emergency services were still feverishly searching for victims under the rubble. However, a police spokesman reported good news shortly before midnight: «With 90 per cent certainty» there were no more victims under the rubble, he said when asked by the German Press Agency. However, the search would continue for as long as necessary, said an official. Possibly «for many more hours».

The regional newspapers «Diario de Mallorca» and «Última Hora» reported that up to 1,000 people had gathered in front of the accident site immediately after the collapse. Relatives of employees feared for their loved ones, onlookers debated the possible causes. The police repeatedly appealed to the crowd to be quiet so that the rescue teams could hear the voices of possible survivors under the rubble.