Rock fall buries beach at Colònia de Sant Pere

PART of a cliff in Colònia de Sant Pere collapsed, burying a small beach close to the San Pedro urbanisation. The rock fall occurred on the night of February 23/24 and neighbours say that it could have been much worse, if it had happened during the day or in the summer. Joan Rosselló, a spokesman for the neighbours, said that when the urbanisation was built 25 years ago, the neighbours built a container wall at the foot of the cliff, but it deteriorated over the years, and the storms of November 11, 2001 proved to be the last straw. Further damage was caused by the more recent storms, which also caused a crack in the road leading to the bay. Rosselló said that they had warned the coastal authority of the danger on several occasions, but have never received an answer. The neighbours have informed the Artà town council which has taken photographs and submitted a report to the central ministry of the environment. The Artà council has also approached the Balearic government for aid in repairing the damage produced by the heavy rains two weeks ago. A spokesman said that nobody had been injured, but material damage was considerable, particularly in the areas close to the water courses. Many farms were flooded and walls washed away. The country roads and paths, some of which are not asphalted, also sustained considerable damage, the council said.