Latest news with #Formentera
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Moment woman waves down passing boat after 5 days adrift at sea in Spain
A missing British woman was rescued by a passing ship after nearly five days adrift at sea. Police and coastguards started hunting for Mary Gavin, 39, last Wednesday evening around 36 hours after she vanished on a rented boat she had hired a day earlier on the paradise island of Formentera. She was rescued alive late Saturday afternoon after a ferry covering the route from the Majorcan capital Palma to the mainland east coast city of Valencia spotted her and raised the alarm. A passenger aboard the boat that discovered the woman recalled the dramatic moment they neared her as she called out for help, saying: 'She was dehydrated and sunburnt and had mouth sores. The waves complicated the rescue.' Alejandro Rosera told Majorcan media outlet Cronica Balear: 'When we were about to pass by Formentera, we were told there was an emergency and we had to turn back. 'Later on we saw a woman on board a small boat. She had a life jacket on and another in her hand making gestures. 'It took about 40 minutes to get her onto our ship. The movement of the waves made the rescue more difficult. 'She had mouth sores and you could tell she was dehydrated so she was given water and a Coca Cola. 'Once we got to Valencia a large number of police and health professionals were waiting for her and assisted her immediately.' News of the 5pm rescue on Saturday emerged on Sunday morning when police confirmed she had been taken to hospital in Valencia. The vessel she had lost her way in, a cream-coloured Quicksilver 475 Axess with a Mercury outboard motor which she had hired from a rental firm at Formentera's La Savina Port last Tuesday morning, was towed to Ibiza by coastguards. Police divers had been incorporated into the search for her last Thursday after Civil Guard and Spanish coastguards helicopters and boats were mobilized. Speaking on Sunday morning a Civil Guard spokesman said: 'The British woman who vanished after renting a boat in Formentera on Tuesday morning has been found alive.' The police force had said on Friday in its first official comments about the disappearance: 'The missing woman is a 39-year-old British national who hired the boat in the port of La Savina in Formentera on Tuesday morning. 'She was supposed to return it around 6pm on Wednesday and when she didn't her friends became worried and raised the alarm. 'From the time she was reported missing on Wednesday evening a search operation was launched which continued throughout the day yesterday. She hasn't been found yet nor has the boat she was on. 'The Civil Guard's Judicial Police unit has been investigating this woman's disappearance but two vessels belonging to our Maritime Unit were mobilized yesterday along with one from the specialist sub-aquatic GEAS unit. 'The officers from the Maritime Unit conduct the searches from speedboats and the GEAS are essentially diving specialists.' A police source said last week the missing woman had been living on one of the Balearic islands for around two months, although it was not immediately clear if the island is Ibiza or Formentera. No more details have been given out by local authorities about what they think went wrong and why the woman had ended up adrift and in difficulties.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish tourists to face summer of disruptive hotel strikes on Spanish islands
Irish holidaymakers will face a summer of disruptive hotel strikes in the Balearic Islands after talks to avert walkouts broke down on Thursday evening. Union chiefs decided to call six days of industrial action starting from July 10th. Advertisement Further strikes have been scheduled for July 18th, 19th, 25th, 26th, and the 31st. More than 180,000 workers employed in the hospitality sector in Majorca, Ibiza, and Formentera are expected to take action, affecting not just hotels but also restaurants and other nightspots. Confirmation attempts to resolve outstanding pay and condition issues between workers' representatives and employers had failed emerged last night. Union chiefs said they couldn't continue with talks given the fact they had lowered their wage increase demands to 16 per cent over three years but only 11 per cent was on the table. Advertisement Thursday's crunch negotiations had been suspended around midday for a lunchtime break - but ended around 6:30pm with the strike action announcement coming soon after. Balearic Islands hotel chiefs had increased a wage rise proposal that was already on the table to 9.5 per cent over three years at the start of the month, but were warned to expect a 'no' from worker representatives ahead of an earlier meeting on June 11th. UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia Relucio described the offer at the time as 'more crumbs' and claimed hotel bosses wanted their workers to survive on tips. He said after walking out of today's meeting: 'We'd come here to negotiate to improve the conditions of service industry workers, not to worsen them.' Advertisement Javier Fich, president of the Majorca Hotel Business Federation, admitted the outcome of today's talks represented 'failure' on the part of negotiators and claimed union representatives had been 'too focused' on the wage increase issue. The federation vice-president Maria Jose Agilo added: 'We regret and condemn the behaviour of the UGT union, which from the start has put on the table a strike threat which doesn't favour a good negotiating climate.' The bad news from the Balearic Islands followed close on the heels of a last-minute deal to avert the threat of hotel strike action in Tenerife and three of the other Canary Islands in the Atlantic archipelago. Union representatives and employers sealed the deal after reaching a wage rise increase agreement.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
British holidaymakers WILL be hit by Spain's summer of strikes: Anti-tourism activists double down and say they will walk out in the coming weeks... and cause CHAOS for visitors
British holidaymakers will face a summer of disruptive hotel strikes in the Balearic Islands after talks to avert walkouts broke down this evening. Union chiefs decided to call six days of industrial action starting from July 10. Further strikes have been scheduled for the 18th and 19th of July, the 25th, 26th and the 31st. More than 180,000 workers employed in the hospitality sector in Majorca, Ibiza and Formentera are expected to take action, affecting not just hotels but also restaurants and other nightspots. Confirmation attempts to resolve outstanding pay and condition issues between workers' representatives and employers had failed emerged last night. Union chiefs said they couldn't continue with talks given the fact they had lowered their wage increase demands to 16 per cent over three years but only 11 per cent was on the table. Today's crunch negotiations had been suspended around midday for a lunchtime break - but ended around 6.30pm with the strike action announcement coming soon after. Balearic Islands hotel chiefs had increased a wage rise proposal that was already on the table to 9.5 per cent over three years at the start of the month, but were warned to expect a 'no' from worker representatives ahead of an earlier meeting on June 11. UGT union spokesman Jose Garcia Relucio described the offer at the time as 'more crumbs' and claimed hotel bosses wanted their workers to survive on tips. He said after walking out of today's meeting: 'We'd come here to negotiate to improve the conditions of service industry workers, not to worsen them.' Javier Fich, president of the Majorca Hotel Business Federation, admitted the outcome of today's talks represented 'failure' on the part of negotiators and claimed union representatives had been 'too focused' on the wage increase issue. The federation vice-president Maria Jose Agilo added: 'We regret and condemn the behaviour of the UGT union, which from the start has put on the table a strike threat which doesn't favour a good negotiating climate.' The bad news from the Balearic Islands followed close on the heels of a last-minute deal to avert the threat of hotel strike action in Tenerife and three of the other Canary Islands in the Atlantic archipelago. Union representatives and employers sealed the deal after reaching a wage rise increase agreement. Earlier this month, thousands of locals marched across Spanish Islands to tell Brits to 'go home' as part of widespread protests against so-called 'over tourism'. Holidaymakers were visibly stunned by the dramatic demonstrations in Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza. Thousands of fed-up locals were seen banging their drums and chanting slogans while marching by tourists enjoying their evening meals. The demonstration began at Plaza de España, in the heart of the tourist city. Activists claim more than 30,000 people took to the streets to voice their frustrations about the impact of tourism on the island. Placards held up by marchers read: 'Tourists go home', 'Mallorca is not for sale' and 'Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home.' Footage shows Brits visibly shocked by the demonstrations, while some tourists were seen taking refuge on their accommodation balconies. Other signs read: 'Your vacations, our anxiety.' Dozens of placards read 'tourists go home… refugees welcome', while a group of teenagers could be heard chanting 'tourists go home!' as they marched through the city. Children taking part in the protest were seen carrying water pistols, with plans to spray holidaymakers as they pass on by. Protesters were heard chanting slogans against Airbnb and 'guiris' - the Spanish slang term used to describe Brits and other foreigners. One placard read: 'Rich foreign property buyers go to hell', while another said: 'Enough is enough.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Incredible moment British woman desperately waves down passing ferry after FIVE DAYS adrift at sea in Spain
This is the moment a missing British woman makes desperate help hand signals to a passing ship after being located following nearly five days adrift at sea with a huge search operation in place to find her. Police and coastguards started hunting for Mary Gavin, 39, last Wednesday evening around 36 hours after she vanished on a rented boat she had hired a day earlier on the paradise island of Formentera. She was rescued alive late Saturday afternoon after a ferry covering the route from the Majorcan capital Palma to the mainland east coast city of Valencia spotted her and raised the alarm. Today one of the passengers on the boat that discovered the missing woman recalled the dramatic moment they neared her as she called out for help, saying: 'She was dehydrated and sunburnt and had mouth sores. 'The waves complicated the rescue.' Alejandro Rosera told Majorcan media outlet Cronica Balear: 'When we were about to pass by Formentera, we were told there was an emergency and we had to turn back. 'Later on we saw a woman on board a small boat. 'She had a life jacket on and another in her hand making gestures. 'It took about 40 minutes to get her onto our ship. The movement of the waves made the rescue more difficult. 'She had mouth sores and you could tell she was dehydrated so she was given water and a Coca Cola. 'Once we got to Valencia a large number of police and health professionals were waiting for her and assisted her immediately.' News of the 5pm rescue on Saturday of the British woman, named locally last week as Mary Gavin, emerged on Sunday morning when police confirmed she had been taken to hospital in Valencia. The vessel she had lost her way in, a cream-coloured Quicksilver 475 Axess with a Mercury outboard motor which she had hired from a rental firm at Formentera's La Savina Port last Tuesday morning, was towed to Ibiza by coastguards. Police divers had been incorporated into the search for her last Thursday after Civil Guard and Spanish coastguards helicopters and boats were mobilised. Speaking on Sunday morning a Civil Guard spokesman said: 'The British woman who vanished after renting a boat in Formentera on Tuesday morning has been found alive.' The police force had said on Friday in its first official comments about the disappearance: 'The missing woman is a 39-year-old British national who hired the boat in the port of La Savina in Formentera on Tuesday morning. 'She was supposed to return it around 6pm on Wednesday and when she didn't her friends became worried and raised the alarm. 'From the time she was reported missing on Wednesday evening a search operation was launched which continued throughout the day yesterday. She hasn't been found yet nor has the boat she was on. 'The Civil Guard's Judicial Police unit has been investigating this woman's disappearance but two vessels belonging to our Maritime Unit were mobilised yesterday along with one from the specialist sub-aquatic GEAS unit. 'The officers from the Maritime Unit conduct the searches from speedboats and the GEAS are essentially diving specialists.' A police source said last week the missing woman had been living on one of the Balearic islands for around two months, although it was not immediately clear if the island is Ibiza or Formentera. No more details have been given out by local authorities about what they think went wrong and why the woman had ended up adrift and in difficulties.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Incredible moment missing Brit castaway Mary Gavin waves desperately at passing ship sparking rescue after 5 days at sea
THIS is the incredible moment missing Brit castaway Mary Gavin waved desperately at a passing ship after being stranded in the sea for five days. Footage shows Ms Gavin in a life jacket shouting for help after she vanished on a boat she had rented on a Spanish paradise island. 6 6 6 She was rescued alive on Saturday after passengers on a passing ferry headed to Valencia spotted her and raised the alarm. The 39-year-old Brit was then rushed to a hospital to receive medical treatment. Emergency rescuers revealed Ms Gavin rented a Quicksilver 475 Axess boat in Formentera before she lost her way in the middle of the sea last week. Alejandro Rosera, one of the passengers on the ferry that rescued her, said that she was dehydrated and had severe sunburn. Ms Rosera added: "When we were about to pass by Formentera, we were told there was an emergency and we had to turn back. 'Later on, we saw a woman on board a small boat. 'She had a life jacket on and another in her hand, making gestures. "She was dehydrated and sunburnt and had mouth sores. 'Once we got to Valencia, a large number of police and health professionals were waiting for her and assisted her immediately.' Police and coastguards started hunting for Ms Gavin last Wednesday - some 36 hours after she vanished after renting the boat from Formentera. Expert divers were tasked by the Spanish coastguards to scour the depths of the ocean to search for the missing Brit The Spanish Civil Guard also mobilised helicopters and boats in a bid to find clues about her. Cops revealed that friends of the Brit woman first raised the alarm after she failed to return from her boating trip. 'From the time she was reported missing on Wednesday evening, a search operation was launched, and it continued throughout the day," they added. After rescuing her, a Civil Guard spokesman said: 'The British woman who vanished after renting a boat in Formentera on Tuesday morning has been found alive. A police source said last week the missing woman had been living on one of the Balearic islands for around two months. Although it was not immediately clear whether the island is Ibiza or Formentera. No more details have been given out by local authorities about what they think went wrong and why the woman ended up adrift in the middle of the sea. Last year, four people including two Brits were dramatically rescued from a stricken boat after getting lost at sea for four days. The dehydrated men were found by Spanish authorities some 60 miles off the coast of Tenerife. They made a Mayday call to alert local ships after being stranded in the sea for days. A Panamanian-flagged ship along with a Spanish Civil Guard vessel is said to have responded by heading to the area they were in. 6 6
