The researchers were examining “whether it is an orchestrated, planned or isolated event.”
Mallorca police detained 12 passengers and were searching on Saturday for another 12 who fled a plane during an emergency landing, in an “unprecedented” incident possibly related to illegal immigration, authorities said.
The unauthorized departure came after a passenger apparently became ill on a flight from Morocco to Turkey and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Palma de Mallorca, one of the busiest airports in Spain.
“There are already 12 detainees [personas] and we still have 12 to locate ”, Aina Calvo, representative of the Spanish government in the Balearic Islands, declared at a press conference.
These are “unprecedented events that have not occurred previously at any airport point in our country,” he added.
The police had previously said that “a passenger apparently suffered a diabetic coma and was transferred by ambulance” to a hospital, where no problem was detected and where he ended up being detained as “the alleged perpetrator of a crime favoring illegal immigration and infringement of the immigration law, “said a statement.
During the evacuation, another 21 passengers exited the plane around 7:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Friday afternoon and ran onto the runway, Calvo said, prompting a massive police search that forced the airport to close until around midnight. .
Another person was arrested for “insults and assaults” inside the plane, bringing the total number of those involved in the incident to 24, most of them Moroccans except one “who we believe is Palestinian,” he said, adding that the The incident was “unprecedented.”
Investigators were examining “whether it is an orchestrated, planned or isolated event,” said the government representative.
Those who fled the plane will be prosecuted for non-compliance with air safety regulations and irregular entry into Spain, and will be deported to their country of origin, Calvo said.
None of them had applied for political asylum, he added.
According to the aircraft finder FlightRadar24, the plane was an Air Arabia Maroc Airbus A320 flying between Casablanca and Istanbul. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
