The body of the man killed by a rockfall at the Castle has been recovered

The operation to lift the 20-ton rock beneath which the man was trapped after a rockfall early Tuesday morning in Cala Sant Esteve, El Castell, Menorca, concluded this evening with the recovery of his body. In addition to the man, who was approximately 65 years old, a woman was injured when the large rock fell, according to sources from the SAMU 061 emergency service. The rockfall caused a boulder to fall onto the building, trapping two people inside. SAMU 061 personnel, firefighters, and the Civil Guard were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, paramedics located the people trapped under the rock. One of the victims, a man of approximately 65 years of age, died at the scene. The other victim, a woman in her sixties, was rescued in serious condition and taken to Mateu Orfila Hospital after the activation of the severe polytrauma protocol. Firefighters are carrying out maintenance work to prevent further landslides.

The Menorca Fire Chief, Juanjo Franch, attributed the rockfall that killed a man on Tuesday to the rain and dense vegetation. Emergency services, Franch explained, carried out safety work on the structure of the three-story building and are removing debris that fell onto the roof. The mayor of Castell, Lluís Camps, detailed that the affected couple lived on the ground floor, while some of their children and their families lived on the first and second floors. All of them were evacuated because, according to the Fire Chief, drone footage detected cracks in the cliff face that could cause further rockfalls. For this reason, residents of neighboring houses were also evacuated, and work will continue to secure the cliff face and remove the existing vegetation.

Later, the plan was to clear the rubble from the damaged house in order to remove the body of the deceased, which was still under the rock, "larger than a car," that crashed down onto the ground floor of the building after passing through the two upper floors from the terrace. "The movement of the rock caused a tremor that reverberated throughout the homes in the area," explained Franch.

Institutions express their condolences

The Prime Minister, Marga Prohens, expressed her condolences for the man's death. In a message on social media, she conveyed her sympathy and support, offering the mayor and residents any assistance and resources needed to cope with the situation.

Similarly, the Menorca Council also publicly expressed its "deepest condolences" to the man's family and friends. "We extend our support to the injured man and are at his disposal, as well as to the residents of the area," the island administration stated.

The Castell Town Hall also expressed its "deepest condolences for the tragedy that has claimed the life of one of our residents in Cala Sant Esteve." "We want to convey all our support, affection, and respect to the family, friends, and loved ones during these difficult times," they added.

Pneumatic lifting pillows

To lift the 20-ton rock beneath which the dead man was trapped, two pneumatic lifting pillows and a crane were used. The mayor of Castell, Lluís Camps, explained that the operation is technically complex and that the pneumatic pillows have a lifting capacity of 20 tons each. "The goal is to rescue the victim as soon as possible, because the weather conditions are not very favorable," he stated. This Wednesday, a team from the Observatory of Natural Risks and Emergencies (RiescBal) of the University of the Balearic Islands is scheduled to conduct an in-depth assessment of the area where the landslide occurred. The specialists will also analyze the risk to which the homes that were preventively evacuated are exposed, the Ministry of the Presidency, Coordination of Government Action, and Local Cooperation reported in a statement.

The Director General, Pablo Gárriz, has traveled to the Castell to assess the situation and has indicated that the emergency services' work will focus on stabilizing the building, removing the victim, offering psychosocial support to the family, and identifying areas that may need reinforcement or inspection to prevent any further risk.

Platerbal

"We are constantly monitoring the situation to provide all the necessary technical support," he noted. The Balearic Islands Territorial Civil Protection Plan (Platerbal) activated level zero last Friday following a rockfall in Esporles. This will allow the Castell City Council, as was done with the Esporles City Council on Friday, to receive "all the necessary support and technical information to make the decisions deemed appropriate."