Building collapse in Mallorca: Four dead and 16 injured, say rescue workers

According to local emergency services, a desperate search for survivors is underway after a two-story restaurant collapsed on the Spanish island of Mallorca, killing four people and injuring 16.

Several people are said to be trapped under rubble at the site of the Medusa Beach Club, a beach restaurant in one of the busiest areas of the regional capital Palma de Mallorca.

The building collapsed on Thursday evening at around 8:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. CET). People fell into the basement below, where customers and employees were located.

Police say the terrace collapsed because there was “too much weight” on it, but investigations are ongoing. Rescue workers have called for calm while they listen for survivors.

A firefighter described the scene to local newspaper Ultima Hora as “nightmarish,” adding that when his team arrived, people were crying and screaming and standing on the ground around the rubble.

Raúl Pursnami, owner of the Moda Meena fashion store on Cartago Street next to the restaurant, said he witnessed the disaster.

“I can hardly speak. People were eating, they were on vacation and now look what happened,” he told El País.

The victims are said to be three women and one man, but their identities have not yet been released by authorities.

One of the victims is said to be a young man who had left the gym to drink his daily coffee at the restaurant, his friends told local media.

According to officials, psychologists will be sent to the scene of the accident to help people traumatized by the incident.

The British Foreign Office declined to say whether British nationals were affected by the collapse. A spokesman told the BBC: “We are aware of an incident in Palma and there are currently no reports that British nationals were involved. We remain in contact with the Spanish authorities.”

A man with a broken arm was pulled from the rubble, but rescue workers believe there are more people trapped.

The town hall of Palma, the capital of the Balearic Islands, has declared three days of mourning.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

He said he was closely following the latest developments and his government was ready to provide all necessary assistance.

The President of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, expressed shock at the incident and expressed her condolences to the families of the victims.

Ms. Prohens thanked the rescue workers and Mr. Sánchez for his support.

Mallorca is the largest of the Spanish Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.

Last year more than 17 million people visited the island.