When a P&O cruise liner collided with a cargo ship near Majorca due to strong bad weather, several guests on board suffered minor injuries.
The island is being pounded by hurricane-force winds and heavy rains, along with its neighbors Ibiza and Menorca.
For the Balearic Islands and a portion of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, weather warnings for wind and rough waves have been extended through Monday.
The extreme weather was frighteningly close to thousands of passengers on board the Southampton-based P&O ship Britannia this morning.
Around 11 a.m., their ship broke free from its moorings close to the island’s beach, struck a nearby smaller ship, and the walkway fell into the water.
‘There’s no structural compromise, but deck five has incurred a tiny amount of damage,’ the captain reportedly told passengers following the event.
The 6,647-passenger and 1,350-person Britannia will stay in Palma until a technical evaluation is finished.
One Welsh passenger told WalesOnline, “I was crying my eyes out. It was panic stations.”
We went out onto our balcony and could see the wreckage on the side of the boat, our lifeboat, and the debris in the water.
According to P&O, a limited number of passengers had minor injuries and were receiving treatment on board.
‘On Sunday, August 27, P&O Cruises Britannia was involved in a weather-related incident while alongside in Palma de Mallorca,’ a company spokesman said.
A few people suffered minor injuries; they are being treated by the onboard medical center.
“Britannia will remain alongside in Palma de Mallorca tonight with onboard entertainment and activities scheduled, to allow our technical teams to make an assessment.”
