The occupants of a motorboat, apparently five people, were rescued today, Monday, after the boat they were sailing on caught fire for reasons that are being investigated. According to information provided by Salvamento Marítimo (Maritime Rescue) to the media, a warning was received at midday this morning that a motorboat, measuring around six metres in length, in which five people were apparently sailing, had caught fire in Ses Covetes (Campos, Mallorca).
Fortunately, before the boat was gutted by the flames, those on board were able to flee, jumping into the sea, from where they were rescued by other boats that were in the area at the time of the incident.
Salvamento Marítimo, which mobilised the Salvamar Mimosa from Portocolom, has assured that the occupants of the boat affected by the fire are in good condition.
In June, emergency services were called to the port in Palma after two boats caught fire. A column of black smoke could be seen for some distance. The area was cordoned off to facilitate the emergency operation. Palma Fire Brigade extinguished the fires, but the boats had partially sunk.
According to the Balearic Port Authority (APB), “the incident occurred shortly before noon when two crew members of the sailboat Maximus, a 30-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man, both from the United Kingdom, who were operating on a rented boat - initially it was believed to be an auxiliary of the sailboat but has been ruled out -, suffered the deflagration of its engine and fell into the sea.
Other crew members of the sailboat, went to rescue the injured, who had second-degree burns on the face and arms, which is why they were treated, in the first instance, by ambulances, at the Club de Mar, Port of Palma, and then transferred, finally, to the Rotger Clinic.