At least five people have died after a wooden footbridge at a beach in Spain collapsed. The victims were part of a group of seven people affected by the accident at El Bocal Beach on the outskirts of the northern city of Santander.
All have been described as “young to middle-aged”. Their nationalities are not yet known, but all are understood to be women. They fell into the water and onto rocks below the walkway when it gave way. The horror tragedy occurred around 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon (March 3). Coastguards have been involved in the ongoing search and rescue operation along with firefighters, police and local government representatives who mobilised a helicopter, as one person remains missing.
The casualties are understood to have been walking along the coast at El Bocal Beach and taking a route which involved several footbridge crossings.
Last night, the death toll stood at four, but this rose to five overnight, although local reports citing coastguards said six people had been killed. One lost her fight for life after being admitted to a hospital intensive care unit.
Santander’s mayor, Gema Igual, visited the scene. She said, speaking when the official death toll still stood at four and describing the walkway that collapsed as running between two cliffs: “They had come to enjoy the area’s natural environment and suffered this accident.
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“We have four dead, two people we are still looking for and another who is suffering from apparent hypothermia in hospital.”
Central government representatives for the region then confirmed last night that the death toll had risen to five. A sixth woman is in intensive care at Santander’s Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital and the search is continuing for a seventh person still missing.
Local reports said the female casualties were pupils aged between 20 and 25 doing agriculture and environmental studies at a specialist education centre in Spain’s northern Cantabria region, as well as a monitor teacher there. They were walking between El Bocal beach and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, which has a centre in Santander.
A group of cyclists raised the alarm just after 4.30pm.