AN URGENT warning has been issued by angry residents in Mallorca saying more disasters could soon strike following the Medusa beach club tragedy.
At least four people died in the horrific collapse and another 16 were injured last night, as residents reveal many sites are “not designed for tourists”.
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Authorities revealed earlier today that two German tourists, aged 20 and 30, a 44-year-old Senegalese man and a fourth female victim, aged 23, were killed at the Medusa Beach Club just one day after a renovation.
Locals say the ordeal was an “accident waiting to happen.”
They also gave a frightening prediction that there could be a series of tragedies in the future unless things seriously change.
Alain Carbonell, president of the Residents’ Association of the S’Arenal neighborhood in Mallorca, said: “We fear that the building may have collapsed due to its age and the fact that it was originally designed for residential and non-tourist use due to the number of people in it. interior.
“There have been two previous cases of building collapses elsewhere in this area.
“This was completely predictable and the worst thing is that it will happen again. We are afraid this will happen again.”
Speculation about when the building that hosted the event was built has increased since the disaster.
Reports say he could be between 70 and 84 years old.
Carbonell made it clear that “checks must be made” on any new additions to the buildings, as just a day before the floor collapsed, the popular nightspot opened a new rooftop bar.
This new terrace at Medusa Beach Club in Playa de Palma collapsed at around 8:30 pm on Thursday night.
Police say it was likely caused by an overload of people on the first floor.
Carbonell added: “It’s clear that with a building of this age, with the materials used and the renovation work that has been carried out over the decades, the original structure suffers and I think the collapse is linked to that.
“There are a lot of buildings like this in this area.”
Other residents expressed their fury at the decay that has been allowed on beachfront properties, including the club.
Lourdes, who has lived in Playa de Palma for 40 years, told Ultimate Hora: “I could see this happening, the decline the area has suffered is incredible.”
Another local named Manuel agreed saying, “All the buildings in this area are the same.”
BEACH HORROR
Abdoulaye Diop, 44, a Senegalese migrant living in Mallorca, was the first of those who died last night to be identified.
He worked as a nightclub doorman in the region and made headlines on the island in 2017 when he saved a drowning man.
He is believed to have stopped at the Medusa Beach Club, on the seafront promenade, after leaving the gym.
The fourth victim is a 23-year-old Spanish worker.
It has now emerged that nine survivors undergoing treatment at the hospital are Dutch, the nationalities of the others are unknown.
Witnesses spoke of their terror as they watched the bar collapse into the street as if a “bomb” had gone off and horrific images emerged showing the immediate aftermath.
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Horrifying images show people screaming, crying and running away, while bodies lay lifeless on the sidewalk.
Around 100 rescuers worked through the night searching for anyone trapped under the rubble in what they described as a “nightmare” scene.
Emergency services could be heard asking people to stay quiet as they heard the sounds of someone being trapped.
Palma City Council vice-president Javier Bonet said this morning: “We can now rule out the possibility of there being more victims.
“This morning, at around 2:30 am, firefighters finished removing all the debris and completed the rescue operation.”
Three days of mourning have now been declared for the victims.
The exact cause of the collapse remains unknown.
‘LIKE A BOMB’
Last night, hordes of emergency service vehicles rushed to the scene of total chaos on Cartago Street.
All ambulances in Palma were transported to the seaside location, which was packed with rescuers until the early hours of the night.
Local resident Javier said Last hour the collapse sounded like “a bomb” as he watched the terrible events unfold.
Santiago Aranda, who was walking his dog at the time of the collapse, told La Linterna: “I have no words to describe it.
“It was an explosion and we were in the street in front…some ran in the opposite direction and others towards the dust.”
Raul, store employee next door, he told CadenaSER: “Everything fell completely. It was very noisy and there were a lot of people inside.
Aranda, who was with his wife at the time, said he stayed to help “get people out” amid “screaming, wailing and crying.”
Eder Garcia, head of the Palma Fire Department, said at the scene overnight: “We received the first call at around 8pm.
“The first floor terrace collapsed, probably due to excess weight, although this is still under investigation, and is impacted by an arch below which also collapsed and affected the basement where there was a foosball table and people were eating.”
Heartbreaking footage showed dozens of people comforting each other on the road as they waited News.
Psychologists were also called to the scene to help those suffering from the trauma of the collapse.
Several passersby tried to enter the wreckage out of fear that their loved ones were trapped inside.
Responding to the tragedy, the President of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, wrote in X: “Shocked by the information I received about the collapse of Platja de Palma.
“Sending all my love and affection to the families of the four people who lost their lives in this tragic incident and wishing the recovery of all those injured.
“Thank you to all emergency services who were sent to the scene and continue to work there.”
President Pedro Sanchez added: “I am closely following the consequences of the terrible landslide that occurred on Palma beach.
“I want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and my best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured.”
Medusa Beach Club is located just a few meters from Cullera beach, in Playa de Palma, a resort east of the capital, popular with tourists.
Around 3.2 million Brits travel to Mallorca every year.
Thursday’s collapse came at the start of the archipelago’s peak tourist season.
In 2009, the collapse of a three-story building in Palma de Mallorca killed seven people, including two Germans and three Colombians.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
