The operator of a restaurant that collapsed on the island of Mallorca just over a month ago has been arrested.
The man has been charged with four counts of grossly negligent homicide and six counts of grossly negligent grievous bodily harm, the Spanish police announced in Palma on Wednesday.
Four people died in the accident at Playa de Palma on the Spanish Mediterranean island on the evening of May 23. There were also numerous injuries.
Investigators found that the restaurant did not have an operating licence for the collapsed balcony terrace, according to the police statement. An excessive load on this illegally built structure led to the collapse.
Palma's mayor Jaime Martínez had previously announced that the use of the first floor of the Medusa Beach Club had been illegal. "We assume that there were 21 people on the first floor at the time of the accident," the mayor explained at the end of May. In the accident, the first floor collapsed down into the basement.
According to the authorities' findings, 12 Dutch guests of the pub 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.
