ECLIPBAL records 46 incidents during the solar eclipse

Director General of Emergencies and Interior Pablo Gárriz reviews the results of the ECLIPBAL Protocol, which concluded with just 46 minor incidents.

The Government considers the development of the eclipse day a “success for Balearic society as a whole.” For this historic event, the Directorate General of Emergencies and Interior designed and activated the ECLIPBAL Protocol to monitor, control and ensure safety across the Balearic Islands. The specific protocol was designed to adapt and complement PLATERBAL (the Territorial Civil Protection Plan for the Balearic Islands) and was deactivated at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 12th of August.

The following day, the Govern’s Director General of Emergencies and Interior, Pablo Gárriz, reviewed the results, highlighting that the historic eclipse day had been “a success for Balearic society as a whole.”

Gárriz said that “the information provided in advance encouraged responsible behaviour among the population, and this has resulted in positive figures in terms of incidents. More important than the number itself is the fact that none of them were serious.”

In total, 46 incidents were recorded by the 112 Emergency Coordination Centre during the 24 hours of 12 August: 34 in Mallorca, 3 in Menorca, 8 in Ibiza and 1 in Formentera.

Traffic-related incidents were the most common. However, the most significant incidents were two maritime rescues in the Cap Blanc area: one involving three crew members from a boat that caught fire, and another involving five crew members from a second vessel that had broken down.

The ECLIPBAL Protocol deployment involved around 3,000 people in total, with 2,147 personnel from the various activated agencies working simultaneously during the busiest hours of the day.

“The successful outcome of the operation is the result of the efforts of all the organisations and administrations that worked quietly yesterday and for many months beforehand, preparing to ensure everything went smoothly,” Gárriz said. He added that the operation had been deployed “exactly as planned and on the scale required for the day.”

Four command posts were established to coordinate the operation: the Main Command Post (PMP) at the 112 Emergency Coordination Centre, and three Advanced Command Posts (PMA) in Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

“This allowed us to manage and coordinate the entire operation very efficiently,” Gárriz said.

The Govern thanked the public for its cooperation and understanding, as well as for its exemplary, responsible and sensible behaviour. The Directorate General of Emergencies also highlighted the successful operation and use of the 26 safe observation areas set up across the Balearic Islands.

The eclipse, together with the exceptional viewing conditions offered by the Balearic Islands, generated considerable interest. Six astronomical organisations from the islands were able to observe and work on the event from areas offering particularly good visibility. In total, 98 scientists, including several from abroad, were accredited and travelled to the Balearic Islands under the coordination of these local organisations.

As for media coverage, 335 media professionals from 49 Balearic, Spanish and international media outlets were accredited through the Govern.