Monday. 11.11.2024

At least 25 people were injured in an accident occurred on 29 August involving a ferry off the Spanish resort island of Ibiza.

The catamaran fast ferry San Gwann belonging to the German shipping company FRS was on its way from Ibiza to Formentera late on Saturday evening when it ran aground on a rocky outcrop between the two Mediterranean islands called Es Malvins.

There were 35 passengers and 12 crew members on board, the local authorities and the company said.

A 10-year-old boy was injured and was flown by helicopter to Mallorca to the Son Espases University Hospital in the island's capital Palma, the regional newspaper Diario de Ibiza reported, citing the authorities. He was reportedly in stable condition.

Three other people were still in hospital on Sunday, all with minor injuries: two 41-year-old men and a 32-year-old woman.

According to the report, the accident happened at around 10 pm shortly after the ship left the port of Ibiza.

The 51-metre-long ship, which only began operating the route at the end of June, was severely damaged in the accident, say authorities. No fuel has leaked so far, said port authorities.

Cause unknown

How the highly visible islet of Es Malvins could have been overlooked initially remained a mystery. "The cause of the accident is still unknown," the head of the Balearic Sea Rescue Service, Miguel Felix Chicon, told a radio station on Sunday.

Chicon told broadcaster Cadena Ser that the ferry must already have been travelling at a speed of around 30 knots (a good 55 kilometres per hour) when the accident occurred.

An FRS spokeswoman said that experts are investigating.

"The only thing that is certain at the moment is that the crew was neither under the influence of alcohol nor drugs," she said.

Catamaran ferry hits rocky island off Ibiza