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Sooted facade on Mallorca
Photo: Clara Margais / dpa
According to a newspaper report, the 13 German vacationers who are suspected of setting fire to Mallorca have denied the crime.
As the "Mallorca Zeitung" reported on Thursday, citing sources from the judiciary, the holidaymakers stated in individual discussions with an examining magistrate that they had not set fire to the canopy of a restaurant below their hotel.
Instead, they would have tried to warn other guests in the hotel near the Ballermann about the fire.
At the end of May, two restaurants and an apartment were badly damaged and two people were slightly injured.
Some of the Germans are said to be members of the voluntary fire brigade.
According to the newspaper, the 13 vacation cone brothers from Münster are still in custody.
Since they are cooperating with the judiciary, it cannot be ruled out that they will soon be released on bail, the report said.
The men, almost all between the ages of 24 and 29 according to media reports, are accused of throwing burning cigarette butts onto the terrace roof of a restaurant and pouring alcohol on them at a party on two balconies of their hotel rooms on May 20.
The reed roof caught fire.
The flames damaged the restaurant and another bar as well as an adjacent apartment.
There was talk of damage of at least 150,000 euros.
The Germans were arrested immediately after the fire.
dam/dpa
