According to reports, 23-year-old Carina Marlene, an only child, was working as a cook at the Rocha Mar restaurant, in Calheta, at the western end of Madeira island, when it was crushed by boulders after the cliff behind it disintegrated.


Her body was pulled from the debris ten hours after the incident.


The head of the Regional Civil Protection Service, José Dias, confirmed the fatality, noting that “the main concern [of the operation] was to ensure the safety of the operatives.


The landslide happened shortly after 1pm on Saturday lunchtime, crumbling onto the kitchen area of the cliff-foot restaurant.
The establishment is located on the fringe of Calheta, at one end of the escarpment where a three-month strengthening intervention has been ongoing, taking place until the end of March.


The landslide also damaged a house adjoining the restaurant causing the temporary re-housing of a family comprising five adults and a minor.


The rescue operations of the young woman, who lived in the parish of Ponta do Pargo, in the municipality of Calheta, involved 53 local fire fighters and police officers.


The victim’s family is receiving psychological support from the local authority.


“Our first priority is to take care of the families, we have a psychologist from the council to accompany the family of the victim,” said the city Mayor, stressing that the cliff has “given many problems” over the years.


Work on the escarpment prompted the temporary closure of restaurants in the Calheta Marina, but on Saturday they continued to function normally.


The owner of the restaurant, Manuel Jardim Barbosa, told Lusa News Agency he did not understand why the project to strengthen the escarpment did not cover that area as well, saying he warned authorities, but they “did nothing.”


The regional secretary for Equipment and Infrastructures, Amílcar Gonçalves, said, however, that “the owner’s version does not correspond to the truth.”


Speaking to the media at the spot, the governor indicated that in 2012, when the first intervention was made, the owner “vehemently opposed” any intervention in the area and hindered all procedures for expropriation and property acquisition Amílcar Gonçalves emphasised that this “totally prevented intervention on the escarpment” in that area.