A yacht sailing under the German flag runs over a local fishing boat off the coast of Mallorca. A young man dies and the captain of the luxury ship flees.
Palma de Mallorca/Cala Bona – “Too many tourists, too much garbage, too many yachts,” read one of the signs that a demonstrator held up during recent protests against mass tourism on Mallorca. An incident at the weekend is likely to exacerbate the anger: a 20-meter-long yacht flying the German flag raced over a fishing boat, killing a local angler. The police are investigating.
Manslaughter and hit-and-run: German luxury yacht collides with fishing boat off Mallorca
The yacht that collided with the fishing boat off the east coast of Mallorca on Friday evening (23 August) was reportedly travelling at high speed. One of the three fishermen was killed in the accident, police said. German Press Agency confirmed. According to local media, the deceased was 20 years old, and his two companions were injured. The fishermen were trying to start their boat when they noticed the approaching yacht. But they did not manage to do so in time, the reports continued.
“The yacht was going at full speed, we were screaming like crazy,” the Spanish newspaper quoted Last minute one of the survivors. The luxury ship, which is over 20 metres long, continued its journey unhindered at high speed after the collision off Cala Bona, reported media such as Mallorca Newspaper and Last minuteAccording to the police, the yacht was found in the port of Porto Cristo and the captain was identified. The charge is negligent homicide and failure to render assistance. The police did not disclose any further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Mallorca at the limit: German holidaymakers continue to come to the island – despite protests
Tourists – including many Germans – repeatedly cause problems in Mallorca such as violence or alcohol excessesRecently, at least two police officers from Essen were involved in a violent incident on the holiday island, in which they beat a Spanish taxi driver so badly that he had to be hospitalized. This was reported by the South German Newspaper citing information from security circles.
Even without such serious acts of violence, excessive tourism has been causing discontent among the locals on Mallorca for some time. “It’s about pointing out how overcrowded Mallorca has become,” a participant in a demonstration in mid-August told the Mallorca MagazineDespite the protests of tens of thousands of locals, “los alemanes” are not yet deterred: Spain will remain one of the most popular holiday destinations for Germans in 2024.
Almost 1.2 million people live on the Balearic Islands. According to the Spanish statistics authority INE, 18 million holidaymakers visited the islands last year, including 4.6 million Germans. The tourism sector contributes 45 percent to Mallorca’s economic output.
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