4 dead, 16 injured as beach bar building collapses in Spanish island

OVIEDO, Spain 

Four people were killed and 16 were seriously injured after a popular beach bar on the Spanish island of Mallorca collapsed Thursday night, local authorities confirmed on Friday.

Jaime Martinez, the mayor of Palma de Mallorca, told the media that the tragedy at the bar claimed the lives of two German women, one man from Senegal, and a Spanish woman who worked at the bar.

Of the 16 injured, who authorities initially said were hospitalized in serious condition, several have been discharged, Martinez said.

As of mid-day Friday, 11 people remained in the hospital, local fire chief Eder Garcia told journalists.

All those still hospitalized are from the Netherlands and are between 25 and 35 years old.

After the building collapsed Thursday night, emergency services rushed to pull bodies and survivors out of the rubble.

The tragedy occurred at the Medusa Beach Club, in the heart of the bustling tourism area on Palma Beach, just outside of the island’s capital city.

Reports suggest that the second floor of the bar collapsed onto the ground floor, which sunk into the basement, where most of the victims were found.

Firefighter chief Garcia told journalists that the initial hypothesis is that the building collapsed due to a combination of the building being old and an excess of weight.

He said he was unsure how many people were in the bar at the time, but noted it was a peak hour.

"It's a busy time of year, and you have to think that there were 20 victims in just 20 square meters (215 square feet)," he said.