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6 months ago
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A BRITISH man has opened up about his desperate attempt to revive one of the victims of the Majorca beach club collapse on Thursday.
Mohamma Toure, an expat from Manchester, was selling sunglasses on the street next to the restaurant when he heard its roof cave in.
Local hero Abdoulaye Diop, 44, who Mohamma Toure tried to revive with CPR
Emergency services worked through the night on Thursday after the club collapse
Dozens of people clung on to each other outside for comfort
The collapsed venue on Friday morning
Toure, 25, quickly rushed to perform CPR on Abdoulaye Diop, a 44-year-old man named as the first victim of the horrific tragedy.
He told The Mirror: “I was standing near the bar when I heard the noise and went to help.
“I was doing CPR on [Diop] and then after about five minutes or so the emergency services came and they were doing it again for a long time.
“He doesn’t know me but everyone knew him – he was a true gentleman, always helping everyone and nobody would have a bad word to say about him.”
Diop was a Senegalese migrant living in Majorca who had been working as a nightclub doorman in the area.
He made headlines on the island in 2017 by saving a man from drowning and is thought to have stopped at the club after leaving the gym.
Diop was one of the four people who died in the terrifying collapse, which left 16 others injured and some in critical condition.
Two female German tourists, aged 20 and 30 and a female Spanish worker, 23, were also killed.
CLUB TRAGEDY
The terrace level of the Medusa Beach Club in Playa de Palma caved in at around 8.30pm on Thursday night.
Neighbours heard screams and alerted cops who rushed to the scene.
Nine people were seriously injured and seven people left in critical condition after what officials said was likely caused by an overload of people on the first floor.
The nine survivors being treated in hospital are Dutch and the nationalities of the others are unknown.
Dramatic images from the scene showed the caved in club with hordes of firefighters and ambulances filling the streets.
Dozens of people were comforted each other on the road as they waited for news.
Witnesses to the horrific tragedy described their terror as they watched the bar collapse into the street as if a “bomb” had exploded.
Grim video showed people screaming, crying and fleeing, while a body lies lifeless on the pavement.
Some 100 rescue workers ploughed through the night to search for anyone trapped beneath the rubble in what they described as a “nightmarish” scene.
Heartbreakingly, emergency services asked people to keep quiet so they could hear cries for help from anyone trapped inside.
Palma’s Deputy Mayor Javier Bonet confirmed on Friday morning: “We can now rule out the possibility there could be more victims.
“This morning around 2.30am firefighters finished the job of clearing all the rubble and concluded the rescue operation.”
Three days of mourning have been declared for the victims.
HOW DID IT COLLAPSE?
Just one day before the Medusa Club tragedy, the popular night spot unveiled a new terrace bar.
The company posted a picture of their renovation on Instagram, with the caption: “Totally different, New rooftop.”
Local media reported that people were dancing on the terrace before it collapsed, although this has not yet been verified by officials.
Locals described the tragedy as an “accident waiting to happen” and fear it could happen again.
Alain Carbonell, president of the S’Arenal Neigbourhood’s Residents Association in Majorca said: “We fear that the building has collapsed due to its age and the fact it was originally designed for residential and not tourist use by the amount of people inside.
“There have been two previous instances of collapses at buildings in other parts of this area.
“This was completely foreseeable and the worst thing about it is that it will happen again. We are afraid it will occur again.”
Mr Carbonell made it clear that “checks have to take place” on any new additions to buildings amid fears something similar could happen again.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday night: “I am closely following the consequences of the terrible landslide that occurred on the beach of Palma.
“I want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and my wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.”
A body lies on the floor next to the collapsed building
Ambulances lined up ready to take people to hospital
Three days of national mourning has been declared for the victims
The club’s terrace was renovated not long before it collapsed
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