Two construction workers aged 26 and 45 have died after scaffolding collapsed from the facade of an 18-storey building in Ibiza Street, Benidorm.

Emergency services were alerted at 10.49am on Wednesday. Fire crews, including a command unit, rescue van and turntable ladder from the Benidorm station, attended alongside a SAMU unit and a basic life support ambulance. Paramedics confirmed both men had died at the scene.

A third worker managed to avoid falling. According to emergency services, he climbed back into the building through a balcony and was not injured. Firefighters worked to clear debris and secure the area after the structure fell from around the middle of the building, scattering rubble across the street.

Benidorm Council has declared a day of official mourning. A three-minute silence will be held at noon on Thursday outside the town hall. Mayor Toni Pérez expressed his condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims, while the mayor of Santomera in Murcia confirmed that one of the men was a resident of the town.