HEAVY RAIN CAUSES CHAOS ON THE ROADS AND AT SEA

By Humphrey Carter THE heavy and persistent rain which fell on the Balearics yesterday caused a spate of traffic accidents while the rough sea conditions and gale force which forced shipping companies to suspend crossings and the closure of the Port of Mahon. The Guardia Civil reported yesterday evening that they had responded to at least 20 accidents in Majorca, the worst of which involved a lorry which flipped over on the Palma to Inca motorway. The driver suffered serious injuries and was rushed to Son Llatzer hospital. Guardia Civil sources said that the heavy rain was to blame for all of the accidents but, with more rain forecast over the next few days, urged drivers to be extremely careful. The island's fire fighters have also been kept busy by the weather. In Alcudia and Manacor fire fighters were called out to clean up a number main roads littered with debris carried by the gale force winds or blown over trees. In Soller, firemen had to cope with a handful of small landslides and a few walls which collapsed under the weight of the intense rain. The worst landslide was along the Andratx to Soller road, near the military base, and, as fore fighter tried to reach the scene to start clearing away the mud, a second land slide some two kilometres from the Soller Tunnel, blocked their path. Soller In Llucmajor a chimney collapsed and a host of balconies needed attention in Soller, Llucmajor and Manacor while a section of the Santa Margalida to Petra road was flooded as were a number of under-passes on the Palma ring road. The heavy rain and gales also caused major problems for shipping. Most fast ferries spent the day firmly moored up in Balearic ports with most crossing suspended while the Port of Mahon was closed with winds reaching 30 knots. A few ferries which set sail for the Balearics did arrive, but late. None of the Balearic airport reported any problems dude to the adverse weather here in the Balearics. For those planning on travelling by sea over the next few days, the advice is check times will the ferry company as conditions are forecast to continue unsettled until Sunday. And, despite the Balearics not being on weather alert, people are being urged to be careful, not only on the roads, but also in the mountains and on the beaches.