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Man Killed, Woman Gravely Injured as Five-Meter Boulder Tears Through Home in Menorca

Regional officials have activated the Balearic rockfall plan and are deploying RiscBal technicians to assess cliff stability and guide protections for evacuated homes.

Overview

  • Emergency services were alerted before dawn to a rockfall at Cala Sant Esteve in Es Castell, where a man died and his partner was hospitalized in serious condition at Mateu Orfila.
  • A boulder roughly five meters across pierced the rear of a three-dwelling building and came to rest on the ground-floor bedroom where the couple slept.
  • Rescuers from 061, firefighters, Guardia Civil, local police, and Protección Civil worked through the night; the woman was freed from rubble at about 7:30 a.m.
  • Neighbors in adjacent homes were evacuated as crews shored up the damaged structure and began debris removal with a heavy crane, with stabilization efforts ongoing.
  • The Balearic government has PLATERBAL at level 0, and a RiscBal team is traveling Wednesday to evaluate cliff risks and recommend measures, with local officials linking the instability to unusually heavy winter rains.