Ritz Hotel
One person has died and 11 were injured after scaffolding collapsed at
the Ritz Hotel in Madrid,
yesterday afternoon where building work was underway.
The city’s emergency services said part of the sixth floor had come
down, with reports it fell down
to the first floor.
Two of the wounded were taken to hospital with serious injuries, while
the others were less badly
hurt.
All those involved were working on the renovation. At least three had
to be pulled from the rubble,
The collapse happened shortly after 4 o clock .. Emergency services
tweeted pictures and footage
of the scene.
Reports say the collapse happened in the inner courtyard of the
110-year old hotel.
Witnesses said that scaffolding and some of the building’s structure collapsed.
The Ritz Hotel closed in February for renovations thought to cost
around 99 million euros and is
due to reopen late next year.
Body
The body found floating near the shoreline of a Spanish beach has been
identified as an Irish
Tourist
A local walker alerted police after spotting the lifeless 56-year-old
woman in the water off Isla
Plana, a village near Cartagena.
The dead woman, who has not been named, was identified by her husband
after the alarm was
raised around 8.40am on Sunday.
She was found floating in one of the coves of the village, just 50
meters from the popular beach ..
bar and shopping area of the Plaza del Mar.
Civil Guard officers are probing the circumstances surrounding the
death as part of an investigation
coordinated by a local court – but are said to have ruled out foul play.
Local reports said bottles of cider and medicine that could be
anti-anxiety drugs had been found in
a handbag near the body.
She was reportedly staying with friends in the area at the time of her death.
Slush Fund
Former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar was questioned in a
congressional commission
yesterday over illegal financing of the PP while he was It’s leader.
The ex-politician, who was Prime Minister from 1996 to 2004, responded
to the questions by
denying any wrongdoing, attacking his questioners and changing the
subject. he also accused the
leader of Podemos .. Pablo Iglesias .. of being “a danger to democracy.”
During his questioning Aznar denied there was a slush fund operating
in the PP, despite the far-
reaching probe into the so-called “Gürtel” scandal.
Flight Emergency
A British Airways Airbus flying from Alicante to London Gatwick
yesterday morning was involved in
an emergency situation when the plane´s landing gear wouldn´t retract
after takeoff.
The Flight took off without apparent incident at 10:55 until the crew
tried to retract the landing
gear.
The crew stopped their ascent at 6,000 feet and requested holding over
the sea near Alicante whilst
they tried to rectify the fault but then requested a return to
Alicante, where the plane landed safely
an hour later without the emergency services being required.
Passengers finally left the airport on a replacement aircraft some 10
hours later.