Holidaymaker hit by falling balcony while swimming in La Manga hotel pool

Murcia

According to witnesses, the balcony structure had detached from the ninth floor of the building in Cartagena

Natalia Penza

A holidaymaker has been rushed to hospital after a ninth-floor balcony fell on top of him in a holiday hotspot as he enjoyed a dip in his hotel pool.

The man, aged around 50, was knocked unconscious after being hit by debris.

Accident and emergency staff at a nearby hospital were informed so they could prepare to receive the injured tourist on arrival.

The drama happened on Friday evening. The hotel where it occurred has been identified locally as the four-star Izan Cavanna Hotel in La Manga, where nearly 200 people fell ill last August in a major Salmonella outbreak.

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The nationality of the injured man and his current condition is not yet clear.

A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said that night: “Several 999 calls just after 7.30pm yesterday (FRI) reported the collapse of a balcony at the facilities of a hotel complex located in La Manga del Mar Menor in Cartagena.

“According to the callers, the balcony structure had detached from the ninth floor and fallen into the establishment’s swimming pool, injuring one person.

"Civil Protection units from Cartagena, firefighters from the Cartagena council fire and rescue service, Cartagena Local Police, and a mobile emergency unit from the 061 emergency and urgent healthcare management service were immediately dispatched to the scene.

“An emergency services doctor reported that the injured person, a man aged around 50, was being transferred to the Virgen de la Arrixaca Clinical Hospital, with the accident and emergency unit notified of his arrival.

“A crew from the Cartagena council fire and rescue service remains at the scene to inspect, secure, and cordon off the area where the collapse occurred.”

Salmonella

A field hospital was set up at the seafront Izan Cavanna Hotel, just 15 minutes from the famous five-star La Manga club resort, during last August’s salmonella outbreak.

Initially 28 guests were said to have been laid low before the number started rising and regional health chiefs said there were 190 confirmed cases.

Nearly 20 people ended up being transferred to hospital due to the severity of their symptoms.

The first cases were reported on 23 August last year.

Breaking a silence of two days, hotel chiefs eventually said in a statement they were collaborating closely with local public health authorities and “deeply regretted the situation and the concern the incident may have caused guests.”

It has yet to comment on the latest incident.

Ceiling collapse

In April five people were taken to hospital when part of a ceiling collapsed on holidaymakers at the three-star Poseidon Palace Hotel in Benidorm.

The incident happened around 2.20pm on 5 April when sections of plasterboard and air conditioning ducts collapsed on top of around 60 guests eating in the hotel dining room.

The five people who needed hospital treatment were aged 33 to 80. An eight-year-old child and a man aged 78 were given medical assistance at the scene.

Days later two people were hurt when the floor gave way as guests were having dinner at the Rey Don Jaime Hotel in Santa Ponsa in Mallorca.

More than 150 people were evacuated after the 9 April scare.

The 520 holidaymakers staying at the hotel near Magaluf were later transferred to other hotels belonging to family-owned brand Zafiro.

Fire chiefs confirmed the closure decision after an inspection, saying the owners had decided on the move.