Acting negligently?

Mallorca club collapses: Austrian arrested

Four people were killed when the restaurant collapsed.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

After he had already been reported to the police, the operator of the Medusa Beach Club on Mallorca, which collapsed just over a month ago, has now been arrested. According to the Spanish media, it is said to be the Austrian Christian A.. He is accused of negligent homicide.

Four people were killed in the dramatic collapse of the club in Playa del Palma, including two tourists from Germany. 16 people were injured. The operator is accused of grossly negligent homicide and grossly negligent grievous bodily harm, the police announced in Palma on Wednesday.

Serious construction defects uncovered
The investigation revealed serious construction defects, and the terrace that collapsed is said to have no longer had a permit. According to the German-language "Mallorca Magazin", Christian A. was taken to a police station and his fingerprints were taken. He will subsequently be brought before a magistrate. 

After the night of the accident, A. commented on the collapse in a press release. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and emphasized: "We will do everything in our power and work with the authorities to understand everything that has happened. We would like to sincerely thank the emergency services for their rapid response."

Images of the collapsed building and from the night of the dramatic incident: 

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Fotos

Used to be a Mexican restaurant
In 2018, the two Austrian bar operators, Christian and Sandra A., had opened a Mexican restaurant called Tex Mex. In 2021, however, they decided to change the concept and launched the Medusa Beach Club.

In doing so, they allegedly ignored or failed to rectify previous building violations and extended the restaurant onto the terrace. It is currently not known whether charges will also be brought against A.'s wife.

Mayor announces stricter controls
Palma's mayor Jaime Martínez had already announced after the accident that the use of the second floor of the Medusa Beach Club had been illegal. "We assume that there were 21 people on the second floor at the time of the accident," the mayor explained at the end of May. In the accident, the first floor collapsed down to the basement.

According to the authorities, twelve Dutch guests of the restaurant were carrying tables to the terrace and putting them together before the accident. In the wake of the accident, Mayor Martínez announced that there would be strict controls in the summer, including at Playa de Palma.