A 32-year-old Spanish woman is being treated for burns to 80 per cent of her body after her partner apparently set her alight this morning in Alcudia. The incident, which has been strongly condemned by the local town hall and the Balearic government, happened at 7.15am at the couple’s rural home in Cami S’Hort dels Moros in Mal Pas.
According to sources close to the investigation, the woman was doused in what is thought to have been petrol by her partner and then set alight. Amazingly, the victim managed to escape from the burning property on foot with her two-year-old son and raise the alarm. Despite suffering from the extensive burns, she managed to drive to her father’s home nearby and he contacted the police.
The two-year-old escaped any injuries but his mother was rushed to Son Espases Hospital. Medics had hoped to airlift her to the Vall d’Hebron specialist burns unit in Barcelona, but her condition was too critical to be moved today.
Back at the scene in Alcudia, the suspect was arrested for alleged domestic violence while Council of Majorca firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze which had set the bedroom on fire.
Alcudia town hall said in a statement that the mayor and councillors have been deeply shocked by the incident and that a minute’s silence will be held at midday today to demonstrate their "total disgust and repulsion" over the attack.
The director of the Balearic Womens’ Institute, Rosa Cursach, has contacted the town hall and offered any help that might be needed. She also strongly condemned the attack and said that she wished the victim "a speedy recovery".
She went on to say that this was not an isolated incident. "We’ve got to work harder stamping out domestic violence, we’ve got to all cooperate in trying to find a solution."
During the first quarter of this year, 1,105 cases of domestic violence were reported in the Balearics, the second highest figure in Spain.