Tragedy in Mallorca. The young woman found dead swept away by the waterspout in the Torrent de Pareis and the man who is still missing were a couple. Both were British tourists and were spending a few days on holiday in Mallorca. Sources from the Guardia Civil have reported that the group that went into the mountain lacked the necessary equipment and clothing, as well as warm clothing.
The group of Britons on holiday included other relatives of the couple, who were rescued on Tuesday afternoon, when the torrent was flooded by a sudden downpour of water. One of them was admitted to a clinic in Palma and two were taken to the Son Amer shelter in Escorca, where they had planned to spend the night before being caught in the storm.
The latter two are “devastated” by what happened, according to one of the members of the emergency teams. The group that entered the Torrent de Pareis showed symptoms of hypothermia, due to the low temperatures, which plummeted in a short time, and the fact that they were completely soaked by the rain.
The Guardia Civil GREIM (Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group) were mobilised in Escorca in anticipation of some hikers entering near the Entreforc, despite the fact that we were on alert for very heavy rainfall. “We are tired of taking tourists in flip-flops out of the torrent, who think it’s a stroll when in reality it’s a very demanding route, which you have to do with the right equipment,” explained a police officer who is taking part in the Serra de Tramuntana operation. As night fell the search was expected to be called off, but it will resume at first light on Thursday morning.
The Guardia Civil had to interrupt the search for the missing man in the torrent for a few hours until the storm cleared, but resumed it in the afternoon, although only by land, given the difficulties in using the helicopter. Operations at Balearic airports accumulated widespread delays on Wednesday, both in departures and arrivals in Palma, Ibiza and Menorca, with rainfall of between 50 and 90 litres per square metre and wind gusts of between 90 and 120 kilometres per hour.
The Government’s Department of Emergencies has reported that this Wednesday there have only been a dozen incidents, of the total of 147 attended in the last two days. Ibiza is the island that has taken the brunt of Wednesday’s rain. The brigades of workers from the Council of Mallorca’s Roads Department had to clean up this morning on the Serra road between Andratx and Valldemossa due to falling branches and stones, but they did not have to close any roads on Wednesday. The storms this Wednesday have left maximum records of 53.4 l/m² in Sant Joan de Labritja, 21.8 l/m² in Puerto de Sóller, 13.8 l/m² at Ibiza airport, 10.8 l/m² in Sant Antoni, and 10 l/m² in Vila, according to data from the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (State Meteorological Agency) until around 5 pm.
As for the wind, the maximum gust of the day was at Serra d’Alfàbia, in Bunyola, at 57 kilometres per hour, at Ibiza airport 54 km/h was recorded, at Capdepera 53 km/h, at Petra 50 km/h and at Banyalbujar 47 km/h.
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