Campaign to Revive Promised Tabarca Heliport Plan

Following the rescue of a diver off the coast of Tabarca island last week, the residents have begun to collect signatures to demand improvements to the heliport on the island.

The project, which has been ongoing for some two years, was blocked by the Heritage department, although the residents point out that there are other facilities, such as the water treatment plant booths, which were admitted, and they also believe that in this case the safety of the possible victim should be paramount, as was the case last Wednesday.

It is not the first time this has happened, says Carme Martí, president of the association raising the concerns once again. But what happened on Wednesday was bizarre. They are fed up, they say, with the Third World situation in which the island lives, and with the conflict of egos between all the administrations that protect it.

In the incident on Wednesday, a Maritime Rescue helicopter was sent to the island, but it had to come from Manises, near Valencia, and once it arrived, it required several reconnaissance manoeuvres to land, because the lighting on the heliport was not available, resulting in the police having to guide the helicopter pilot with a torch, assisted by the lights of mobile phones by members of the public.

The helicopter was eventually able to land, thanks to these efforts, and transferred the injured diver to the emergency hospital.

As a result of this incident, it is now expected that the campaign will gather strength, and the association are looking to organise protests throughout the autumn to raise awareness of the issue, in the hope that they will get the heliport that would improve safety on the island.