Islands hit by stormy weather

The storms which hit Majorca over the weekend were a sign that, although we can still expect sunny days, summer is almost over. A 77-year-old German tourist, who arrived two days ago, was swept to her death by a giant wave in Cala Mayor yesterday morning. The islands had been on storm alert and Sunday's heavy rain caused flooding in garages and homes in Palma and Marratxi, but above all in Calvia and Andraitx. The effects of the storm were also felt at sea, and several boats slipped their moorings and were smashed on the rocks. At Andraitx beach, a 15 metre yacht sank despite efforts by firemen to refloat it, while another yacht sustained serious damage. The most serious incident on Sunday occurred in the Cala Llamp area of Andraitx, where three Swedish children aged about ten were swept off the rocks by waves ten metres high. The father of one of the children leapt into the sea and managed to save one child, while two tourists rescued the second and the emergency services pulled the third child from the waves. One of the children and one of the rescuers needed hospital treatment after their ordeal.