TRIBUTE TO STORM POLICE HEROES

PALMA
PALMA City Council yesterday paid tribute to the two Local Police agents who saved the lives of a Danish man and his three-year-old son trapped in their vehicle by the force of the flood water which killed the mother during last week's torrential storms.

The Danish family, of whom the wife and mother, Camile Tenderson, was tragically killed by the storm on 17th October, had been on holiday in Alcudía, when they decided to explore some of the island and headed for the village of Puigpunyent, 20 minutes drive from Palma,.

Just as they parked their hire car, a huge torrent of water swept Camile off her feet as she got out of the car, while her husband and son were left trapped in the vehicle as it too was swept down river, eventually becoming trapped in the branches of a large tree.

Nicolás Herrero, chief of Palma's Local Police Force, explained that the two officers, Toni Nadal and María Fiol, “were off duty and out of the municipality of Palma” when they rescued the trapped father and son, and that “they didn't think twice about helping people in difficulty”.

Herrero went on to say that the incident was a “great indication of the current state of the police”. The two municipal police officers have been married for three years and live in Son Serralta, near the river where the incident occurred.

Toni Nadal, relating the course of events in a speech, said that he and his wife had gone out to see the rushing river, when they saw a man and a small boy trapped within a car which was stuck precariously within a tree's branches and being pounded by the fierce flood water.

The two police agents immediately decided to grab some rope from the boot of their car to secure the tree and eventually help the two to safety. Four Ecuadorians who came across the scene also joined in to help with the rescue.

The Mayor of Puigpunyent, who accompanied the Mayor of Palma Aina Calvo at yesterday's ceremony, said that an extraordinary event had taken place in his constituency, and that he would like to thank the help given by “all those who voluntarily contributed with the rescue”.

The regional and central governments are still collating the cost of repairing the damage caused by the two storms to have hit the Balearics this month causing millions of euros worth of damage. Insurance claims totaling over an estimated 80 millions have been submitted and both Palma and Madrid have promised extra cash aid to help offset extra expenses incurred by victims of the storms.

The worst, a clutch of tornadoes, caused the worst of the damage on October 4, but the torrential rains which hit just two weeks later, tragically proved fatal for the Danish holidaymakers.