Nine people have been injured, two of them seriously, after their sailboat collided with rocks on Wednesday morning in Cala Saona on the coast of Formentera, due to the strong storm hitting eastern Spain. The nine occupants of the sailboat, all of Italian nationality, had to be rescued by the Formentera Firefighters and treated for various injuries and bruises by emergency services. The seriously injured individuals include a man who suffered a hand injury resulting in the amputation of a finger and a woman with a serious leg injury. The other seven have suffered minor injuries or bruises, as reported by the Health Area of the Pitiusas.
Additionally, the fisherman that Maritime Rescue was looking for with the Sasemar 101 plane and other means since this morning has been found, as reported by Ràdio Illa and confirmed by this newspaper. Francisco Torres Costa had set out with a llaüt (a type of boat) in the La Mola area in Formentera, and after his relatives did not hear from him, they alerted authorities. The man has been transported to the hospital after his rescue. According to reports from the Diario de Ibiza, the fisherman was found by his fellow fishermen clinging to a piece of the top of the llaüt in which he had sailed.
The Acrux, Mimosa, and Markab lifeboats have carried out towings of vessels with issues to Ibiza, Portocolom (Mallorca), and Ciutadella (Menorca). Emergency services were alerted to the sailboat accident at 10:54 AM and three ambulances were dispatched to evacuate the nine crew members to the hospital in Formentera, where they were admitted through the Emergency Department.
The Directorate General of Emergencies of the Government of the Balearic Islands has activated the red alert of the Meteobal plan on all islands and decreed the prohibition of outdoor activities. The Balearic president, Marga Prohens, has urged “maximum caution and prudence” in the face of adverse weather conditions. The storm affecting the Balearic Islands has led to the cancellation of 53 flights at its three airports: 44 in Palma, 4 in Ibiza, and 5 in Menorca, as well as widespread delays in arrivals and departures.
The emergency service 112 reported that by three in the afternoon on Wednesday, after the first round of storms, 112 incidents had been recorded in the islands. Most incidents were located in Mallorca, with 70, as well as in Ibiza and Formentera, where 19 incidents were attended to on each island. The majority of incidents were related to flooding and fallen trees. Heavy rains have disrupted air traffic throughout the day, with weather conditions expected to worsen.
The weather is expected to improve for a few hours before more rainfall occurs. The State Meteorological Agency in the Balearic Islands has activated a red alert in the north and northeast of Mallorca due to accumulated precipitation that could reach 180 liters per square meter in twelve hours. Extreme risk is anticipated between midnight and 3:00 PM on Thursday, with the rest of the islands under an orange alert for rains and storms. The Coordination Center in Palma is overseeing 14 incidents caused by weather conditions in the Balearic Islands, including the search for a missing fisherman in Formentera.
