People take photos of the Medusa Beach Club on Palma Beach after the building collapsed. Photo: JAIME REINA/AFP
Smiling tourists were seen posing. for photographs outside a destroyed Spanish beach club, which locals say may have collapsed partly due to overtourism.
Two German tourists and two local workers were killed Thursday evening when the roof of the Medusa Beach Club collapsed on visitors who ate. and drank on the lower floors.
According to the Balearic Islands emergency services coordinator, seven more people are in hospital with serious injuries, and another nine are seriously injured.
Medusa Beach Wednesday Club announced in an Instagram post that he had renovated his rooftop restaurant.
On social networks, he shared a photo of a terrace with a glass balcony overlooking Palma beach and the caption “Completely different, new roof.”
A photo of the new roof was posted on the Medusa Beach Club Instagram page
Palma City Council's planning chief said an investigation had been launched to determine whether the nightclub had the necessary permits and whether there had been recent renovations that might require legal approval.It appears that part of the roof terrace structure collapsed due to excess weight. According to Eder Garcia, Palma's fire chief, the supporting structure of the terrace gave way and collapsed on the visitors below.
Emergency personnel help inspecting the building after the collapse. Photo: Emergency personnel inspect the building after the collapse. 
Police are on the scene. Photo: JAIME REINA. /AFP
Spaniards expressed anger at the tragedy and blamed a lack of control over construction in the popular tourist area.
Economist Maria José Dueñas said: “This is what happens when toxic tourism activity, greedy hotel owners overwhelm cities/regions.
“The floor of the Medusa Beach Club restaurant collapsed due to excess capacity, leaving four dead and dozens injured. Neither safety, nor city rules, everything is speculation.”
Spaniards blame lack of control over development in the Palma beach area Photo: JAIME REINA/AFP
Francisco Nogales, chairman of the Palma residents' association Beach, told reporters Friday: “We knew something like this could happen.”
“These buildings are 80 to 90 years old, have no inspections and are deteriorating, so they need to be strengthened to it was possible to carry out this type of activity.”
Mr Garci said of the collapse: “The investigation is still ongoing but everything points to a combination of outdated design and excess weight.”
A police spokesman agreed the terrace collapsed due to “excessive weight.”
>Mariama Sill, 23, a Spanish beach club waitress, died in the collapse.
Also killed was 44-year-old Abdoulaye Diop, a Senegalese man who reportedly worked in the Palma Beach area as a nightclub doorman.
The other two dead were said to be older female friends. The 20- and 30-year-olds were on holiday together from Germany.
Diop became a local hero after he and a friend rescued a man drowning in the sea off Palma beach seven years ago.
Abdoulaye Diop died as a result of the incident. Photo: ASA/GC/SM
“It was two degrees and the water was freezing, but when you see a person in such a situation, you act without thinking about saving his life,” Diop told a local newspaper in an interview 2017.
Those near the Beach Restaurant and Bar at the time of the collapse say they heard a loud bang just after 8pm on Thursday as the roof structure collapsed. The establishment was reportedly busy at the time of the collapse, with some patrons dancing on the upstairs terrace.
The roof space fell directly onto the first floor of the restaurant, causing the structure to further collapse down into the building's basement and crowding customers.
Emergency crews, including firefighters, ambulances and police, quickly arrived on the scene. collapse and began to pull the dead and wounded out from under the rubble.
No explanation has yet been given for the collapse. : Kati Cladera/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Local police asked bystanders to stand back and remain silent as rescuers worked through the night to search for people buried under the rubble.
Palma Beach is a busy resort area benefiting especially popular with German tourists.
Palma City Council declared three days of official mourning for the victims.
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, offered to express his condolences to the families of the victims and sent “best wishes for a speedy recovery wounded.”
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