Trending:

British Tourists Stranded As Storm Causes Cruise Ship To Crash Into Oil Tanker In Mallorca

By Chris King • Updated: 27 Aug 2023 • 18:00

Image of a person being blown by a very strong wind.

Image of a person being blown by a very strong wind. Credit: photoscgmidt/Shutterstock.com

GALE-force winds of up to 55mph caused a cruise ship to break free from its moorings in the Balearic island of Mallorca this morning, August 27.

As a result, the P&O vessel was sent crashing into a nearby oil tanker in the cruise port of Palma de Mallorca. Thousands of British passengers have consequently been left stranded after the incident involving the massive 140,000-tonne Brittania.

The ship’s captain took to the onboard tannoy system and: ‘ordered everyone to their muster stations’, a passenger told Wales Online, referring to the emergency points at which passengers are instructed to attend in the event of an emergency. ‘This is not a drill’, he stressed.

‘We are aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning while the ship was alongside in Palma de Majorca. We are working to assess the situation. The captain is keeping all guests updated’, a spokesperson for P&O Cruises told The Sun.

Various videos posted on social media captured the intensity of the sudden storms that hit the Balearics today. One, shared by Dani Torres @jumpcarey, showed an object flying through the air and smashing into what looked like a hotel or apartment block, thought to be in Cala Major near Palma in Mallorca.

A tweet from the 112 Emergency Services of the Balearics told of the situation in Mallorca: ‘The episode of rain, storm and wind leaves, for now, a total of 86 incidents, the majority due to falling trees (37) and landslides (18)’.

AEMET, the State Meteorological Agency tweeted information informing the public of the amount of rain that had fallen and the strength of winds in various parts of the island.

The weather experts have already issued weather warnings for the next two days in the Balearics. They wrote: ‘Yellow and orange notices for tomorrow Monday 28 and the day after tomorrow Tuesday 29’.

Mallorca Fire Brigade also posted images of some of the incidents they were deployed to deal with today. ‘Today has been a complicated day. Until 14.15 we received 118 notices from 31 different municipalities. The most affected was @_Calvia (36) but we also highlight the fall of part of the bullring facade of @AjFelanitx. Most fallen vegetation and urban elements’.

Most of the damage appeared to have been caused by falling trees, as was shown by IBANAT in a tweet.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments

Continue Reading