Tragedy in Playa de Palma: the worst building collapse since 2009

The collapse of a restaurant terrace in Playa de Palma has resulted in a tragic incident, leaving four people dead and seven critically injured. This event has triggered one of the largest emergency responses on the island in recent memory. In nearly a decade, there hasn't been an incident of this scale causing multiple fatalities. The tragedy on Thursday brings to mind the last major disaster in the city, which occurred almost fifteen years ago.

On the night of Sunday, October 25 to Monday, October 26, 2009, a four-storey building at the corner of Calle Alós and Rodríguez Arias, near Plaza Serralta in Palma, suddenly collapsed. At 11.20pm, a local police radio broadcast an alarm: "A neighbor on calle Alós reported that a six-storey building had collapsed." In reality, the building had three floors plus a ground floor, but the essence of the report was accurate: a significant portion of the building had crumbled. The loud noise alerted residents from several blocks away, who anxiously took to the streets.

The initial moments were chaotic. Fire engines struggled to navigate the narrow streets around calle Industria. Local police had to seal off the area and create a security perimeter as numerous onlookers dangerously approached the ruins. Despite the tragedy, there was a strong sense of community. Many neighbors joined efforts to clear the rubble and search for the missing. "It's an inhabited building; there must be many people under the rubble," they repeated, filled with anguish. On the streets, some cried inconsolably: "It could have been us."

"All available units must assist in manually clearing the debris while waiting for the excavator," a policeman called for reinforcements over the radio. An hour after the collapse, rescuers found the lifeless body of a woman in the wreckage. Three survivors were later discovered: two with minor injuries and one more seriously hurt. The injured were rushed to Son Llàtzer and Son Dureta hospitals. One of the initial priorities was to communicate with the survivors to understand what had happened and determine how many people were in the building that night.

At 2.15am, a large excavator attempted to access the building from calle Industria, but it proved impossible. "Clearing the rubble with the excavator is very complex because it must be done slowly. If someone is alive under the debris, we must operate cautiously. But time is against us," explained a fire chief. The debris removal continued throughout the night, with trained dogs aiding the search. Occasionally, the operation leaders called for silence to listen for cries for help from beneath the rubble.

Ultimately, technical investigations indicated that the collapse was due to the failure of the building's floor slab. The incident led Palma City Council to establish a temporary commission to enhance prevention mechanisms for building maintenance and conservation, including a risk map for the city.