Saturday evening, a ferry connecting Ibiza to Formentera ran aground on an island. The accident injured over 20 people, including a 10-year-old boy, who was taken to hospital in Palma de Mallorca in serious condition.
The ferry San Gwann of the shipping company FRS left the port of Ibiza at 21:30. It later collided with the northern island of Es Malvins. The shipping company immediately activated the security and emergency protocol and informed the authorities.
A total of 35 passengers and 12 crew members were on board the ship at the time of the accident. After the collision, the crew assisted the passengers until they all disembarked. In addition to the 10-year-old boy, another passenger was seriously injured. Together with 7 less seriously injured people, they were taken to hospital by helicopter. The boy is in the ICU at the hospital in Palma in a serious but stable condition. The other injured were taken to Can Misses Hospital.
Injured taken to hospitals
The others on board were transferred to the port of Ibiza in a lifeboat from the coast guard and from there ten slightly injured people were transferred to Can Misses. Another six, also less seriously injured, transferred to the Nuestra Señora del Rosario polyclinic.
The causes of the accident are currently unknown. It is under investigation by the Maritime Accidents Inquiry Commission, the Guardia Civil and the maritime captain of Ibiza. Minister Josep Marí already spoke about ‘technical errors’.
The German shipping company FRS had been operating on this route for two months. As reported by the Balearic Islands public television, there were many waves at the time of the accident, which made rescue tasks more difficult.
