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ISSUE NO. 1508
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29 MAY - 4 JUNE 2014
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Pilot dies fighting fire INFOCA, the organisation responsible for controlling forest fires, lost a key member of its team on Sunday. The pilot, a woman in her 40s, died when the Alpha 1 AT 802 aircraft she was flying crashed during attempts to control a forest fire close to Tijola and Seron, at the top of the A-334. Witnesses to the accident commented on the “strange movements” of the aircraft’s tail just moments before it plunged to the ground. The blaze began about 1pm,
and was declared under control the same afternoon.
The deceased pilot, originally from Madrid, had a long record of
Bonus award for Mojacar council staff overturned CONTROVERSIAL bonuses awarded in March by the mayor of Mojacar have been withdrawn. The mayor, Rosa Maria Cano, had promised bonuses of €1,000 to full-time employees and €500 to part-time employees. The independent political party Mojacar Positiva se Mueve, led by Councillor Jessica Simpson, filed an immediate legal claim against the awards, declaring that the mayor’s action was illegal and a vote catcher. The legal claim was upheld at an extraordinary meeting held last week, resulting in a jubilant response from Simpson. She was later quoted as saying: “We could not have asked for a better outcome. This wholly inappropriate gesture has
rightly been slapped down because of its illegality... The bonus could easily have been seen as buying an opportunity to get increased numbers of votes on the part of the mayor. You may all make your own judgements on that. Public money must be used justly and fairly, in the way prescribed by law.” The Mojacar Union party expressed its surprise and accused the mayor of a “totally illegal and undemocratic approach” and “blatant electioneering manoeuvres.” Simpson added: “I want to make it clear that this was their mistake and not ours. They put honey in their mouths and promised something that was neither approved, nor legal.”
fire fighting and more than 5,000 hours of experience in this type of aircraft, according to INFOCA in a statement which conveyed its condolences to her family. Besides piloting aircraft, the woman was also a flight instructor who had undertaken numerous fire extinction campaigns across Andalucia. She had carried out eight campaigns with INFOCA alone. During the winter time, she helped with fire extinctions in Chile, South America. She leaves behind a husband and daughter. INFOCA has promised a full investigation into the potential causes of the accident. The mayor of Seron, Juan Antonio Lorenzo, visited the scene on Sunday afternoon and offered his full support and condolences to the family and friends of the much loved pilot. He talked about the Seron people’s sadness that this could have happened. Jose Manuel Ortiz, Environment Delegate of the Junta, also wished to express his condolences to the family, saying: “She was a very experienced pilot, yet so young. It is such a shame that this has happened.”