Evacuated a ferry to the route Palma-Valencia with nearly 160 passengers

A ferry with nearly 160 people, between passengers and crew has been evacuated this afternoon in the high seas, some 17 miles from Mallorca, due to a fire. This is a boat company mixed Trasmediterránea operates, that shortly before the noon had sailed from the port of Palma with destination to Valencia. Four crew members - among them, two seriously injured, poisoned by smoke - have been transferred to hospital in Son Espases palace in a helicopter. Three have already received a medical discharge.

Sea Rescue, in charge of the rescue, has sent four boats. The shipping company has informed that the Sorrento, name of the stricken ship, suffered a fire in the garage cover number four by cause still unknown. The vessel had sought the assistance of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (CCS) to the 1:50 PM. The fire was focused on the port side (left side looking from stern to bow) and has not been able to be controlled using the resources available in the ship. The ship has a capacity for 954 passengers and their winery, for 150 vehicles.

Although the captain of the ship had not considered necessary evacuation in a first time, after, before the intensity of the fire, all the passengers and crew have abandoned the boat in life rafts from the starboard side, as has been reported by the Ministry of Development in your web page.

"Because of the fire suffered, the Sorrento may sink into the position it is," said the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands. Salvamar Acrux, a boat of rapid intervention of rescue, coordinates on the high seas the evacuation of the ship, an operation in which will also attend the Visemar I and the BEF Tween, two ferries from the shipping Balearia sailing in the vicinity and that have complied with the call for help.

Salvamar Acrux is already in the area of the fire. It is anticipated that the bef tween you arrive at the port of Palma approximately at eight o'clock in the afternoon with 152 passengers, a baby between them. According to has confirmed a spokesman for the entity of maritime rescue, evacuation has been carrying out about 17 miles west of Dragonera, an islet in the western end of Mallorca.

In Sorrento there was no dangerous goods, according to information of Trasmediterránea. It was operated from 2014 by the Spanish shipping, who had rented to the Grimaldi. The nave has 186.35 meters long (long) and 25.26 of manga (width).