Police bomb disposal experts were called and clients at the three-star Aparthotel Ca’s Saboners ordered to take refuge in the swimming pool area because of a toxic cloud caused by gas coming from a van parked near the building.
The road the suspicious vehicle was on was also closed while emergency response workers dealt with the scare.
The incident happened around 7pm yesterday in C’as Saboners Avenue in Magaluf’s sister resort of Palmanova.
The Portuguese owner of the van, which had a numberplate from his home country, appeared after firefighters forced open the van as officers from the local TEDAX bomb squad were placed on standby.
He turned out to be a worker for a fuel tank cleaning firm.
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The gas cloud, cleared by spraying it with water, had formed after liquid gas inside the van spilled according to local reports.
A Civil Guard spokesman confirmed clients at a hotel in the area had been asked to leave the building during the scare.
Guests at another hotel opposite, the three-star Sol Lunamar Apartments, were also told not to leave their building via the main door nearest the van.
Some left through a beachside back exit or stayed inside the bar at the back of the building.
The spokesman said: “Emergency services were alerted around 7pm yesterday to a strong smell of gas in a street in Palmanova.
“It was not clear at first where the smell was coming from until firefighters pinned it down to a van parked in the street.
“It’s normal practice in these circumstances for TEDAX officers to be called.
“In the end firefighters forced open the van.
“Holidaymakers at a nearby hotel were told to go to the swimming pool area as a precaution but were allowed back to their rooms after the scare was dealt with.”
The incident was dealt with within an hour.
One local paper said: “It was a close call because a single spark could have caused an explosion.
“The van shouldn’t have been parked in the area because it had dangerous material on board.
“The Portuguese owner claimed he was unaware of the regulations and didn’t know he couldn’t park in the area.”
There were no reports of any injuries.
A guest staying at the Aparthotel Ca’s Saboners said: “The smell of gas was intense. We were told afterwards that firefighters had measured it and determined it was at explosive level but no-one in their right minds would have gone anywhere near the vehicle unless they were part of the emergency services.
“Half of the people in the hotel, the ones nearest the van, took refuge around the swimming pool.
“It was all over very quickly but initially it was very worrying because we didn’t know what was going on.”
A worker at the Sol Lunamar Apartments confirmed: “Guests were told not to leave the building by the front door nearest where the van was.
“Some left via a back entrance on the beach-side of the hotel and others went to the bar at the back of the building.”