PALMA, 24 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The age of the structure of the collapsed building in Playa de Palma and a possible overweight on the terrace is surely what caused the collapse of the infrastructure, an event that has claimed the lives of four people and left 16 injured.
This was explained this Friday, in statements to the media, by the Palma Fire Chief, Eder García, who wanted to express his condolences for the deceased – two young German women, a Spanish worker and a Senegalese man. – and thank the colleagues who worked on the intervention last night.
García added that, at this time, the Palma Firefighters are working to care for both victims and their families, pointing out that, at this time, the injured who are still hospitalized are “11 people, all Dutch, and between 25 and 35 years of age, distributed in the different hospitals of the city.
The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, has however simply spoken of eight hospitalized. Asked about this, the Palma Fire Chief clarified that he was referring to 11 “because there are some people on the ward in a mild condition, who are expected to leave the hospital this Friday, if not this morning, soon.”
Likewise, García commented that the Palma Firefighters are investigating the possible causes of the incident and, for now, the first hypotheses point to a “combined cause”, as he specified. In detail, everything would point, in addition to a possible overweight on the terrace, to an old structure, he added.
Asked about the age of the building, the Palma Fire Chief said he “does not know the age of the building” but, as he pointed out, “the vault that gave way last night is made of sandstone” and that, he continued, “is a material that used in old constructions”.
As for how many people there would be in the premises at the time the event occurred, García pointed out that this is also something that is being investigated. Although, he has commented that, “when the collapse took place it was rush hour” and, taking into account the time of year, one can think that the place “is usually quite full.” “In an area of about 20 square meters we found 20 victims,” he added to specify a little more what the emergency services found upon their arrival in the area.
Likewise, and asked about the possibility that the terrace that collapsed was a converted roof, García insisted that the events are “very recent” and, therefore, although this Thursday, when the incident occurred “it was used as such” , it is necessary to investigate whether the leisure establishment had the permits and licenses or not, just as it is necessary to analyze “whether or not reforms had been made, something that is also unknown.”
Finally, García explained that, at this time, as well as the Palma Fire Department, scientific and homicide police, they are in the area investigating the possible causes of the incident and, at a technical level, municipal technicians are assessing the structure of the building. .
“At this time, two premises are sealed. However, it is being finalized to assess whether it is possible to return to the homes or leave the entire building sealed, which will be decided according to the municipal technicians,” concluded the Fire Chief of Palm.