400 holidaymakers evacuated as tourist ferry STRIKES ROCKS en route from Ibiza
A Spanish ferry packed with hundreds of tourists and their cars has run aground on her way from Ibiza and Majorca, setting off a dramatic rescue effort throughout the night by coast guard and other emergency services.
Pinar del Rio, a fast ferry operated by Balearia, ran aground near Benidorm in southeastern Spain, the company reported. The collision occurred on Friday night as the vessel prepared to moor in harbor with 393 passengers and 70 vehicles on board.
No one was hurt in the incident, but the crew and Spanish coast guard immediately launched a rescue operation.
Photos and videos posted on social media show scenes of anxiety among passengers, with dozens of people seen on the deck wearing inflatable life vests.
Caos , falta de conocimiento de acción , posible capitán ebrio , @balearia debe dar explicaciones de lo acontecido #caos#evacuación#Denia#accidente#ferry#accidentebaleariapic.twitter.com/VkbNhv0Exu
— oyeldrg (@oyeldrg) August 17, 2019
Balearia said that all passengers “were unharmed and were evacuated” on coast guard ships and on the company’s own tug boat. It insisted there had been no fuel spill in the harbor, although precautionary measures were still implemented.
Un ferry de @Balearia encalló a medianoche en la bocana del puerto de #Dénia, con 400 pasajeros. La rápida actuación de @salvamentogob, y de la @guardiacivil y la @policiadenia, permitió evacuar a los pasajeros antes de las 2 sin lamentar daños.👏 Muchas gracias a todos. pic.twitter.com/IllnnbLa8U
— Vicent Grimalt (@VicentGrimalt) August 17, 2019
Local authorities are inquiring into the incident, as divers work on how to refloat Pinar del Rio and bring the vessel into the port.
Meanwhile, the company has relocated passengers to other ships, also offering buses for those who’d traveled to nearby Valencia and Alicante by car.
This is not the first time Pinar del Rio has hit the rocks in Spanish waters, Last June, it also ran aground off San Antonio in Ibiza, with no major injuries reported.
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