Lorraine Williamson
Two workers have died after scaffolding collapsed on a high-rise building in Benidorm on Tuesday morning, in a serious workplace accident that shocked residents and triggered a major emergency response. The collapse happened at Torre 2 of the Principado Europa building, on the corner of Ibiza Street and Esperanto Street, according to both El País and Cadena SER.
Emergency services were called at 10:49am, with firefighters, medical teams and police sent to the scene. One worker was confirmed dead at the site, while a second, initially reported as critically injured, later died from his injuries, according to Cadena SER and El País.
Third worker survived after clinging to the building
A third worker survived the collapse after managing to hold onto part of the building structure and climb to safety through a balcony, Cadena SER reported. He was later treated for an anxiety crisis.
That detail has made the incident even more dramatic locally, with witnesses and residents describing a sudden collapse on a building where maintenance works had already finished and the scaffolding was reportedly being dismantled. The structure extended across the building’s 18 floors.
Causes still under investigation
Police sources quoted by Cadena SER said the maintenance work had already concluded and the scaffolding was in the process of being removed when it gave way. The cause of the collapse is still unknown and remains under investigation.
El País likewise reports that the accident happened as crews were lifting the scaffolding structure vertically after the works had ended, when the collapse occurred for reasons that had not yet been established.
Benidorm declares official mourning
Cadena SER reports that Benidorm City Council has declared one day of official mourning and called a three-minute silence outside the town hall at midday on Wednesday. Mayor Toni Pérez expressed condolences to the victims’ families, friends and co-workers and went to the scene after the accident.
The incident is likely to raise fresh questions about construction safety, dismantling procedures and oversight on major residential buildings in one of Spain’s busiest coastal cities. That is an inference based on the reported scale of the collapse and the fact that the structure spanned 18 storeys.