After the ceiling of a club collapsed in Mallorca on Thursday evening, claiming four lives, authorities announced that there was no valid operating permit for the balcony terrace. There were only permits for the restaurant on the ground floor and the disco in the basement.
Preliminary results of the investigation showed that the use of the first floor of the Medusa Beach Club was illegal, Palma Mayor Jaime Martínez told journalists on Tuesday.
Mayor: “Laws are there to be obeyed”
The town hall wants to provide the findings to the police and the Public Prosecution Service and act as a co-plaintiff in a possible lawsuit, Martínez said. “Laws are there to be obeyed. You may not carry out illegal construction work or organize events without permission.” Many people were also injured in last Thursday’s incident.
Guests may have contributed to the accident
Initial investigations showed that excessive loading on the illegally built terrace, which had been declared inaccessible, was the cause of the collapse. “We assume that there were 21 people on the first floor at the time of the accident.” According to the authorities’ findings, twelve Dutch guests of the restaurant allegedly carried tables to the terrace and assembled them before the accident. That probably contributed to the collapse.
Proceedings had been opened against the restaurant long before it collapsed due to renovation work carried out despite a rejection notice. Regarding the question of blame, the mayor said it was impossible for the city to monitor all 5,000 restaurants and pubs. He announced that there would be strict controls on the Playa in the summer. The town hall has ten inspectors for this purpose.
Two German fatalities were women aged 20 and 30. A 23-year-old Spanish woman and a 44-year-old man from Senegal were also killed. Martínez said on Tuesday that among the 14 injured people taken to hospitals after the accident were three Germans, most of them Dutch. “There is currently one person still in hospital. But already in the normal department.”
Source: Krone
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