Air ambulance was ready to fly critical victim to Barcelona. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

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The Guardia Civil are trying to clarify the cause of the explosion, and subsequent fire, of a boat in Algerian waters to the south of Mallorca that injured two crew members.

One of them, a 42-year-old Russian citizen, has been taken to Son Espases hospital in Palma and is in a critical condition fighting for his life.

One of the main theories is that the fire may have been intentional, and it has not been ruled out that the boat was involved in a drug trafficking plot.

The boat was sailing south of Cabrera when just before seven o’clock when the explosion went off on board. The fire spread rapidly and the Russian crew member was hit by the blast, which could have been formed when the flames came into contact with the fuel tank.

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Air sea rescue launched an emergency operation and evacuated the Russian by helicopter. On arrival at Palma airport, an 061 ambulance was waiting for him, which rushed him to Son Espases hospital.


The doctors confirmed that the burns were almost fatal and decided to transfer him to Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona, which has a special unit for burns, by an air ambulance.

However, his condition is so serious that this manoeuvre has been ruled out for the moment, as the chances of him dying during the transfer are very high.

Another companion of the injured man was hit by the flames in Algerian waters, but his injuries were minor and he did not need to be transferred to Mallorca.

The case is being investigated by the Guardia Civil in Madrid but it appears to be a case of arson.