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A gas leak at a luxury hotel in Palma, Mallorca led to the evacuation of nearly 300 people on Friday evening.

 

The incident took place at the five-star Nixe Palace Hotel in Cala Major shortly after 7.15pm on Friday May 2. Emergency services were called when two tourists collapsed in a ninth-floor room. At first, paramedics thought their symptoms might be related to alcohol or drug use. However, once the pair regained consciousness, they told medical staff they hadn’t taken anything.

 

As other guests began noticing eye irritation and a strong smell of smoke, doctors from the SAMU 061 service (Servicio de Atención Médica de Urgencia/Emergency Medical Care Service) started to suspect a gas leak. Several fire crews were sent to the hotel along with both National and Local Police, who helped manage the situation.

 

A safety perimeter was quickly set up and one lane of Avenida Joan Miró was closed to traffic as emergency vehicles blocked part of the road.

 

Initial investigations suggest the leak came from a fault in the hotel’s smoke extraction system. It appears that a malfunction caused carbon monoxide to collect in a false ceiling above the ninth floor and leak into nearby rooms.

 

Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas that’s extremely difficult to detect without specialist sensors.

 

Of the three people most affected, a woman was the most seriously unwell and was taken to the Juaneda Clinic for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. A 58-year-old Swedish man was admitted to the Rotger Clinic in a less serious condition, while another man, aged 40, was treated at Son Espases Hospital for mild symptoms.

 

Once the building was declared safe and the ventilation system repaired, guests were gradually allowed back into their rooms. Hotel staff worked closely with emergency services throughout the evening and supported those who had been affected.

 

The authorities have now opened an investigation to confirm exactly what caused the leak and to check whether maintenance protocols had been properly followed.

 

 

Image: Dirk Van Elslande/Pixabay