The high winds last week were the direct cause of two tragic deaths in separate incidents. On Thursday the security guard of a hotel reported seeing a man washed away by a gigantic wave as he was standing on the shore near to the Can Pujol restaurant at Port des Torrent. An army spotter plane and helicopter were immediately despatched to the scene but despite spending several hours desperately searching the area found nothing. I actually witnessed the search from my rooftop vantage-point and can testify to the strength of the wind and fierce conditions because I was unable to keep my binoculars steady whilst trying to view the events. Three days later the Guardia Civil have given up hope of finding anybody alive and are waiting for the body to be washed up in one of the many caves along the rocky shore. Strangely, no reports of a missing person have been received.
In the second incident the body of a German man was found washed ashore close to Cala Conta, after his launch was discovered wrecked at Cala Moli. He had apparently been on his way to put the boat in winter moorings at Marina Botafoc before flying home to Germany the following day. It was only his non-appearance in his homeland that sparked the search when his poor wife telephoned one of their Spanish neighbours.