"When the niches fall, what will they do?": A Manacor resident denounces the poor state of Manacor cemetery

Palma"It is an incredible lack of humanity and dignity. That the Administration wants to know nothing about it nor provides any effective solution in such a complicated moment says very little about their education and their little desire to fix it. It makes you want to take the deceased to the City Council and have them deal with it," criticizes Andreu Galmés from Manacor, grandson of a grandmother who this Tuesday midday was buried in the public cemetery of Manacor, far from her husband and far from the family's wishes, due to the lack of security and the closure of the family tomb. "And because the insurance we paid has provided us with another one, because the City Council only offered us a niche on a rental basis, without ensuring that my grandmother's remains can return where they belong."

The day before All Saints' Day, tomb 37 of the municipal cemetery of Son Coletes, in Manacor, had to be sealed due to structural problems. The lack of continuous maintenance has affected the stability of the approximately fifty niches accumulated there, with the safety hazards that would be caused by the internal collapse of the sides. This, which has been known for years, has reached such an extreme that six tombs in the local cemetery (in addition to one buried grave) have had to be condemned by order of the Urban Planning department of the City Council. That is to say, that within these spaces one cannot be buried, nor can relatives enter even (in theory) to change the flowers.

Demand towards the City Council

Riera has already registered a complaint with the Manacor City Council, complaining about the situation: "The response I have received from the councilors is that there are niches that do not have the proper paperwork, and since some are private, a list must first be made of who the owners are and whether they are up to date." This further angered Andreu Riera, a worker at Manacor Hospital: "I think that's no way to behave. It's not a matter of political parties or ideologies, but a cemetery cannot be maintained in these conditions, with years of neglect without doing anything. That's why I have already sought legal advice to file a lawsuit against the City Council," he adds indignantly.

"What are we supposed to do, then? We have all the paperwork for the niche in order, but no rights. Are we supposed to let time pass and let them fall on top of each other? And one day we'll be called, as family members, to choose 15 bones each? That's not right. I feel like taking the chest and throwing it into the municipal offices." In the complaint submitted to the municipal registry, Riera explains that after his grandmother, Isabel Domínguez, passed away on May 23rd, he was surprised when the cemetery manager informed him that he could not bury her in the assigned pantheon because it was sealed and could not be used.

Sealed by order of Urban Planning, neither the department nor the City Council as such have yet contacted the owners of the niches to inform them of a situation that took place on November 1, 2025. The Council explains that it has been due to the difficulty in locating all the owners, in order to demand that they take charge of the necessary renovation. However, the City Council, as the ultimate responsible party, could also act urgently until these procedures are completed, and then subsidiarily reverse the cost of the renovation, which is initially estimated at 125,000 euros.

"We have all the updated and correct documentation," remarks Riera, who now demands "an urgent, forceful, and written response on the actions that will be taken" and the disagreement of the entire family for the burial of Isabel in a niche (number 51) that is not hers, "for which she will not be able to rest next to the remains of her husband." "We have not obtained a dignified, respectful, and humane solution and treatment from the City Council for the burial of our grandmother," he criticizes, after having spoken with a series of municipal councilors.

The City Council, the 'streets', and the 'properties'

It was a few weeks ago that the councilor responsible for Son Coletes, Joana Maria Llull, acknowledged that “the problem doesn’t start now. The cemetery is the great forgotten one, I know. There are graves closed since 2012”, referring to private graves, a small part of the total space. “Urban planning studies each case individually so that, if necessary, urgent action can be taken. But the City Council can only act subsidiarily and if there is an imminent risk”.

“A very high percentage of the graves in the cemetery are under municipal management, directly owned by the City Council. And, therefore, it is up to us to fix them”, acknowledges, on the other hand, the mayor Miquel Oliver, who again emphasizes, however, the responsibility of private owners when it comes to updating grave ownership. “Because, otherwise, we find ourselves in a situation where the City Council, which owns the cemetery streets, cannot act on certain private properties, even if it wants to take the lead”.

"I am very sorry, but common sense, education, and respect must always come first, especially when we are talking about the deceased," laments the affected Riera. "I swear to you that you don't know what it feels like, it's very sad and desperate not to be able to rest even after death," he states.