- Travellers find themselves stranded on the lands of Menorca and Mallorca
The tiny Balearic island of Menorca endured intense storms severely, especially in the central area, specifically in Es Mercadal's municipality. This area saw houses, streets, and fields submerged in water, as reported by "Última Hora" newspaper.
Approximately 200 liters of rain per square meter were recorded within a couple of hours on Thursday. People were forced to take shelter on their flooded house rooftops.
Menorca's inhabitants airlifted by helicopters
The local authorities shared a video containing rescues of several individuals along with their pets from a flooded flat roof by a helicopter. In the city of Alaior, cars were swept away by the torrential rainwater. Preliminarily, no casualties were reported due to numerous weather warnings issued beforehand.
Mallorca, the largest island in the Balearics, experienced fewer effects of the storm as anticipated. Heavy rainfall was experienced there too, causing temporary flooding in streets, such as in Sóller's city. However, the Aemet's highest alert level issued for the meteorological service got withdrawn quickly.
The travelers returning from Palma airport, hurt by the storms that ravaged the Balearics on Wednesday and Thursday, had little comfort in this scenario. Over 40 flights were canceled on Wednesday alone.
Return flight from the Balearic island postponed by half a week
A family of five, including a baby, from Oberhausen, were informed by Eurowings that their likely return flight back to Germany, originally scheduled for Thursday, would now be on Monday evening. Instead, they would be flown to Berlin first, and then by a connecting flight to their actual destination in Düsseldorf, as reported by "Mallorca Zeitung" and "Mallorca-Magazin". Similar situations were faced by other airline's passengers.
The airline, Eurowings, expressed regret towards the travelers, asserting their efforts to transport passengers back home as soon as possible. The severe thunderstorm front over the Balearics forced the cancellation of numerous flights on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the company.
Although 15 additional flights to and from Mallorca were arranged, it failed to meet the entire return trip demand displayed by the travelers. This particular weekend also marked the end of the summer holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, making the situation more complex.
Other travelers from different airlines also faced similar flight disruptions due to the intense weather in the Balearic Islands. Despite the efforts to reorganize flights, many passengers had to adjust their return plans significantly.
Read also:
- Fear of escalation in the Middle East: US Secretary of State Blinken travels to the region again
- Government circles: US Secretary of State Blinken to travel to Middle East again
- Bridging days 2024: How you can double your vacation this year
- Germany has wanderlust: how tour operators and airlines are looking ahead to the next travel year
