Four dead in Mallorca building collapse

AFP

A two-storey restaurant building collapsed on the beach in Palma de Mallorca killing at least four people and injuring 16 people in the tourism hot spot in Spain's Balearic Islands.

Seven people were injured "very seriously" and nine were seriously injured, emergency services said on the X social media platform. They were taken to various hospitals in Palma.

Emergency crews are finalising search and rescue operations and securing the area, a spokesperson for the local police told radio station RNE around midnight, local time.

"That is why now we ask you silence because we need silence to see if we hear someone," he said, adding that he could not rule out that someone was still trapped.

"The terrace has come down, probably due to excessive weight," he said, adding that the causes are still being investigated.

The first calls came in around 8pm, he said.

Firefighters and police forces rushed to the scene, emergency services said, adding some psychologists had been called in.

"I am closely following the consequences of the terrible collapse that occurred on the beach of Palma," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X.

Sanchez said he had spoken to local and regional authorities, adding the government is ready to help "with all the means and troops that are necessary."

"I want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and my wish for a speedy recovery to the injured," he said.

Spanish state-owned broadcaster TVE showed firefighters working to clear areas of the Medusa Beach Club in Palma around 11:30pm local time, and ambulances on the scene.

More from International News

  • Vancouver man charged with murder for attack on Filipino festival

    Canadian prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old Vancouver resident with murder for killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens after he rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city.

  • Qatari PM: Ceasefire talks on Gaza show signs of progress

    Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

  • More than 700 injured in Iran's explosion

    A huge blast most likely caused by the explosion of chemical materials killed at least 18 people and injured more than 700 on Saturday at Iran's biggest port, Bandar Abbas, Iranian state media reported.

  • UN warns funding cuts threaten vital aid

    The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have sounded the alarm over severe funding shortfalls that are hindering life-saving humanitarian aid in countries including Nigeria, Burundi, and Colombia.