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Thousands of Brits stranded as cruise ship crashes in Mallorca storm
Gale-force winds ripped the Britannia cruise liner from its mooring off the Palma de Mallorca coast
A violent storm that broke over eastern Spain at the weekend has hit the Balearic Islands especially hard, where powerful gusts of wind and torrential rain have caused chaos on land, sea and air.
In Mallorca, the 330-metre-long P&O cruise ship Britannia, carrying thousands of passengers from the UK, broke its moorings at around 11am on Sunday August 27. The strong winds and choppy currents dragged the huge liner to the other end of the dock, where it collided with the Castillo de Arteaga oil tanker. The crash gouged a hole in the hull of the other vessel but thankfully no spillage has been reported.
One Welsh holidaymaker aboard the Britannia said the side of the ship was “battered.”
She added: “We were docked overnight in Palma and the wind was so strong our anchors broke and we blew out into another ship. "We were up browsing on our phones in bed and heard the big horn after the bang. It was panic stations, I was bawling my eyes out.
“We went out onto our balcony and could see debris in the ocean and all the damage to the side of the boat and our lifeboat. The captain said: ‘Everyone to their muster stations, this is not a drill.’ Lots of people were running around looking panicked.
“Then they came around again and said everyone needs to get back to their cabins. We’re still none the wiser. I can’t see how they’ll be able to sail it again after this.”
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises said: “On Sunday, August 27, P&O Cruises Britannia was involved in a weather-related incident while alongside in Palma de Mallorca. A small number of individuals sustained minor injuries and are being cared for by the onboard medical centre. To allow our technical teams to make an assessment Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled.”
On land, more than 300 weather-related incidents were reported on the Balearic Islands and over 100 flights were either cancelled or diverted on Sunday.
Image: P&O Cruises
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