Firstly when arriving into Palma on an airbridge you will pass those passengers waiting to board in the gate area and even more so as the flight was already delayed. Some of the arriving passengers over 100 did not have their luggage either this was sent out over the next 2 days.
I was actually in the airport the next morning and from what the passengers told me there was obviously very bad communication between the airline and passengers. They were told about the fault and apparently what made it worse was the state of the cabin and that they had seen the arriving passengers. In my eyes there is no sensation in the news articles I have read.