‘Unharmed and evacuated’: 393 tourists rescued after Ibiza ferry runs aground

‘Unharmed and evacuated’: 393 tourists rescued after Ibiza ferry runs aground
Pinar del Rio, a fast ferry operated by Balearia, ran aground near Benidorm in southeastern Spain

A Spanish ferry packed with hundreds of tourists and their cars has run aground on her way from Ibiza and Majorca, setting off a dramatic rescue effort throughout the night by coast guard and other emergency services.

Pinar del Rio, a fast ferry operated by Balearia, ran aground near Benidorm in southeastern Spain, the company reported. The collision occurred on Friday night as the vessel prepared to moor in harbor with 393 passengers and 70 vehicles on board.

No one was hurt in the incident, but the crew and Spanish coast guard immediately launched a rescue operation.

Photos and videos posted on social media show scenes of anxiety among passengers, with dozens of people seen on the deck wearing inflatable life vests.

Balearia said that all passengers โ€œwere unharmed and were evacuatedโ€ on coast guard ships and on the companyโ€™s own tug boat. It insisted there had been no fuel spill in the harbor, although precautionary measures were still implemented.

Local authorities are inquiring into the incident, as divers work on how to refloat Pinar del Rio and bring the vessel into the port.

Meanwhile, the company has relocated passengers to other ships, also offering buses for those whoโ€™d traveled to nearby Valencia and Alicante by car.

This is not the first time Pinar del Rio has hit the rocks in Spanish waters, Last June, it also ran aground off San Antonio in Ibiza, with no major injuries reported.

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Chief Assignment editor is Oleg Siziakov

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