The device deployed in Balearic Islands for the total solar eclipse has recorded up to 5:00 PM 11 incidents directly linked to the phenomenon, according to the report provided by the director general of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz, after the second meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi).
The authorities have decided to raise the Eclipbal Plan to operational level 2, the special device designed to address the concentration of people and the associated mobility and security problems of the day. About 2,150 personnel are participating in it.
Despite the incidents, Emergencies describes the general situation as "expected calm" and assures that the forecasts outlined in the special plan are being met.
Pedestrians invade the road in the Serra de Tramuntana
One of the main problems is occurring in the Serra de Tramuntana, where numerous pedestrians have occupied the roadway at various points, especially around Deià.
The situation is causing "dysfunctions" in the road safety device and had not yet been resolved by 5:00 PM.
"The personnel are already acting, but we call for the responsibility of these people who are occupying the roadway and who cannot occupy it," Gárriz has warned.
The Civil Guard and local police are conducting patrols to ensure that these people leave the road and move to safe spaces where they do not interfere with traffic.
Emergencies does not currently know how many people are occupying the roads, although it believes that some of them may have arrived in the area previously by public transport.
Gárriz has warned that they could be fined if they remain on the roadway and impede the functioning of the traffic device.
Fewer traffic problems than expected
Mobility was precisely one of the aspects that most concerned the authorities with the arrival of visitors to the observation points.
Between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM, a period of greater "tension" on the roads was recorded due to the coincidence of different driver profiles. Subsequently, according to Emergencies, the situation has returned to normal.
The officials of the device assure that the incidents on the road are being fewer than expected, while the scheduled road closures have been applied without problems and the systems prepared to reroute traffic are functioning.
Of the 11 incidents linked to the eclipse, seven are related to traffic and are of a minor nature, such as small collisions or vehicles obstructing circulation. A report has also been registered for a traffic violation.
A vessel with three people on board catches fire in Cala Pi
The most significant incident related to the device occurred in Cala Pi, in Mallorca, where a vessel caught fire with three people on board.
Another recreational vessel initially assisted the three crew members, who were later rescued by Salvamento Marítimo. They are being transported to Portocolom, their port of origin.
The first information received by 112 indicates that none of the three have serious injuries.
A security incident has also occurred due to the appearance of some barrels in one of the official observation areas. Emergency services inspected and removed them without any problems.
A heat stroke while waiting for the eclipse
The health device also had to intervene during the day. The SAMU 061 attended to a person for a heat stroke while waiting on the beach of El Toro, in Mallorca.
By 5:00 PM, 112 had received around 1,240 calls and managed more than 200 incidents, figures that Emergencias places within the usual average of a day.
Only 11 of those incidents have been directly related to the eclipse. They have been mainly located in the Serra de Tramuntana and in municipalities such as Banyalbufar, Deià, Andratx, Esporles, Fornalutx, Pollença, Santanyí, and Valldemossa.
A person dies after suffering a malaise in Ibiza
During the day, the death of a person was also recorded after suffering a malaise on a vessel located in Cala Comte, in Ibiza.
The victim, who likely suffered a cardiac arrest, was transported by the 061 medical team to land. Emergency teams performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, but ultimately confirmed their death.
The general director of Emergencias has explicitly stated that this death is unrelated to the eclipse operation, so it is not part of the 11 incidents directly attributed to the phenomenon.
Normality in the 26 official areas to view the eclipse
Baleares has this Wednesday 26 Official Observation Zones prepared to receive those who want to contemplate the eclipse.
According to the Emergency balance, the situation in all of them was normal at 5:00 PM. Attendees were arriving in a staggered manner and at that time none of the spaces had yet reached their maximum capacity.
The Eclipbal Plan remains activated at operational level 2, while the more than 2,000 deployed personnel continue to monitor especially the mobility and the points of greater concentration of people during the central hours of the eclipse.