The darkest side of the eclipse: robberies, rescues and burnt boats

PalmaThe total solar eclipse has left a day that will be etched in the memory of the Balearic Islands. But while thousands of people looked to the sky to contemplate how the Moon covered the king star, on land – and also at sea – other much more mundane scenes were unfolding. Robberies, rescues, drifting boats, missing persons, and even a ship fire were the darker side of an astronomical phenomenon that, in general terms, passed without major incidents.

The balance sheet from the Directorate General of Emergencies between 00:00 on Wednesday and 00:00 on Thursday shows a total of 46 incidents related to the eclipse. Among the incidents, 12 traffic incidents, 5 of which were related to safety; 4 people lost – 1 on the beach and 3 in the mountains –, 2 pedestrians in a dangerous situation, 2 rockfalls, 1 fall on the same level, and several emergencies on public roads and at sea.

Two medical consultations were also registered, an obstacle on the road, an accident in an establishment, a medical emergency on the beach, two reports – one related to a boat –, a home invasion, a drifting boat, and a search, among other actions.

Missing persons

The eclipse still kept emergency services busy past midnight. At this hour, several traffic incidents remained open in Sóller and Sant Antoni, as well as the search for missing persons in Pollença and Andratx.

Robbery of tourists

Among the latest cases recorded, there is precisely a robbery with violence. The National Police have arrested two men in Palma accused of assaulting and robbing a couple of tourists who were sleeping on Can Pere Antoni beach after the eclipse. The events occurred early this morning.

Plainclothes agents from the Response Operational Group, who were carrying out prevention tasks, observed two individuals wandering on the sand and watching the belongings of the people on the beach.

The police began to follow them and saw them approach a sleeping couple and begin to tamper with their belongings with the intention of robbing them. The woman woke up and called for help.

At that moment, one of the suspects lunged at the man, grabbed him by the neck with a stun gun and knocked him to the ground. The other assailant punched him several times in the face, causing injuries.

The officers intervened immediately and subdued and arrested the two men as alleged perpetrators of a robbery with violence. One of the victims had to be transferred to a medical center to be treated for facial injuries.

Vandalism at Puig de la Moneda

In Valldemossa, also with an eye on the eclipse, several people climbed up to the tower of Puig de la Moneda, even though the building is closed to the public. The Local Police intervened to evict them and, once the space was empty, they re-locked it to prevent further entries and preserve the building.

Kayaks without illumination

On the other hand, the Civil Guard and Maritime Rescue rescued seven kayaks this Wednesday that did not have lighting in Menorca. As reported by the Armed Institute, the agents accompanied and assisted the occupants to the port of Maó. The kayaks were escorted from the island of Aire to the port to prevent them from being boarded by other vessels.

Nine people rescued at Cala Pi

Likewise, within the framework of the operation deployed due to the eclipse, the Civil Guard assisted two boats with a total of nine crew members that ended up sinking.

In the first case, a recreational boat with five people on board, two of them minors, had problems about two miles from the coast, off the Cala Pi area, in Mallorca. After receiving the alert, agents from the Special Group for Underwater Activities (GEAS) who were in the area quickly moved to the site and rescued the occupants and transferred them to shore. There were no injuries or victims.

Fire on a boat

A second vessel, 12 meters long, suffered a fire in the same area. Personnel from the Maritime Service and GEAS were dispatched to the scene, although the four crew members had already been rescued by other vessels in the vicinity. In this case, too, there were no victims or injuries.

Ocular injuries

Around 16 people have been attended in primary care or in hospitals in the Balearic Islands for eye injuries due to the eclipse, as explained this Thursday by the Director General of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz, at a press conference to review the Eclipbal operation.

In addition, SAMU 061 registered, between 6:00 PM and Thursday morning, a total of 24 consultations: four related to ophthalmological problems and the others, attentions for traumatic injuries and syncope.

Regarding eye injuries, the director of Healthcare Assistance of IB-Salut, Hermann Ribera, explained that they do not rule out more attentions for these conditions, as the injuries begin to develop from 24 to 48 hours.