A luxury cruise ship rescues 19 people from a small boat near Cabrera Island and takes them to Barcelona.
Three of those rescued, including a child, had to be treated at the Hospital del Mar.
BarcelonaA large cruise ship, the MSC SplendidaOn Sunday afternoon, near Cabrera Island, in southern Mallorca, the 19 occupants of a drifting boat were rescued. They included sixteen men, a woman, and two children, who were taken to the port of Barcelona, where the ship was heading. One of the children had to be immediately transferred to the Hospital del Mar because he had a fever due to contact with the cold water. Two other people who required medical attention were also taken, but the rest were taken to the Verneda detention center.
The cruise ship, considered a luxury cruise ship with a capacity for more than 4,000 people, received a request from the authorities to assist the small boat that had been located near Cabrera Island. At the time, there were winds of 70 kilometers per hour and waves of up to three meters. At 4:23 p.m. on Sunday, the ship had begun the maneuver, and by 5:00 p.m., it had managed to bring the 19 people aboard the small, drifting boat on board. International law obliges any vessel to immediately assist anyone in danger at sea.
When they arrived at the port of Barcelona, medical personnel treated the rescued victims and decided to transfer three to the Hospital del Mar. Specifically, they took a minor who had a fever, his father, who had suffered bruises while trying to pull his son from the water, and another adult man with diabetes. "The National Police have begun the work of identifying all the people and will proceed to transfer them to the La Verneda Police Complex to follow the procedure established by the immigration law," says the statement issued by the Spanish Government Delegation in Catalonia.
