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A tragedy unfolded early this morning in Es Castell, Menorca, when a massive rock, roughly five metres wide and the size of a car, broke loose from a cliff and smashed through a three-storey building in the Cala Sant Esteve urbanisation. Emergency services were called at 5.27am and found a 65-year-old man and his 62-year-old wife trapped in their ground-floor bedroom under the rubble. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, crushed by the boulder that had plunged through two floors above them.

 

His wife was pulled from the debris two hours later by firefighters and Guardia Civil officers, who used a drone to aid the rescue in this hard-to-reach spot with poor mobile coverage. An ambulance from the 061 service rushed her to Mateu Orfila Hospital, where she remains under observation for serious injuries. The couple's nationality has not been disclosed.

 

Seven people live in the property but thankfully, the five other residents, one on the second floor and four on the first, were not home that night. The children who usually stay in upper rooms were away, sparing them from what could have been a far worse outcome.

 

Around a dozen nearby homes have been evacuated as a precaution while authorities investigate what caused the rock to fall and assess the area's stability. Numerous firefighters, the Policía Local, emergency personnel and Guardia Civil officers have been working in the zone since dawn to secure the site and prevent further incidents.

 

 

Image: wikicommons