A 27-year-old foreign tourist was seriously injured on Monday after falling onto rocks at Es Caló des Moro, the small cove in south-east Mallorca that regularly appears in rankings of Europe’s best beaches.
The accident happened at around 12.30pm. The visitor lost their footing on a rocky stretch above the beach and dropped an estimated five to seven metres onto the stones below, suffering serious injuries.
A rescue by land and air
The alarm was raised through the 112 emergency number. The health service’s emergency unit, SAMU 061, sent an advanced life-support ambulance and a nursing team, and the first paramedics on scene stabilised the injured tourist before transfer.
Because of the cove’s difficult access, the Consell de Mallorca fire service helicopter, known as Milana, was called in. It airlifted the patient to the helipad at Son Espases University Hospital in Palma, where they were admitted as an emergency. Their condition was later described as serious, with a guarded prognosis.
A beach loved — and crowded
Es Caló des Moro, in the municipality of Santanyí, is only about 40 metres long, but its turquoise water and pine-fringed rocks have made it one of the most photographed spots on the island. A recent international ranking of the world’s best beaches placed it among the top three in Europe.
That popularity has a downside. The cove is reached on foot over uneven, rocky paths, and on summer days hundreds of people try to fit onto a strip of sand that holds far fewer. It has also become a symbol in local protests against mass tourism, with residents arguing that the area’s fragile landscape cannot cope with the number of visitors.
Staying safe on rocky coves
Accidents like this are not unusual on Mallorca’s smaller calas, where the most attractive viewpoints are often on cliffs or loose rock. Emergency services regularly remind visitors to:
- wear footwear with a proper grip rather than flip-flops when walking down to coves;
- keep well back from cliff edges, especially when taking photographs;
- respect barriers and warning signs, which mark unstable ground;
- avoid the hottest hours, when dehydration makes slips more likely.
In an emergency anywhere in the Balearic Islands, call 112. Operators can coordinate ambulances, the fire service and helicopter rescue, and English is spoken.
