ISSUE NO. 1619
14 - 20 July 2016
AXARQUÍA - COSTA TROPICAL YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Bomb scare on the beach
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Cigarette clean-up ALMUÑECAR has declared war on smokers who leave their cigarette ends on the beaches, and is doing battle
by distributing ashtrays to beachgoers and informing them of how much they contaminate. See page 2
Shining light THE old lighthouse in Torre del Mar is to be refurbished in an attempt to meet public demand and bring the emblematic building back to life.
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See page 4
Culprit sought POLICE are hunting for a fishing boat believed to have caused a fuel stain which
forced a Torrox beach to be closed to bathers on Monday See page 5 morning.
Water worries By Eleanor Hawkins Locals a n d v i si t o r s a lik e w ere s e n t i n t o a p a n ic o n Tuesday afternoon (July 12) when a swimmer raised the alert on Salobreña beach, after spotting what was initially thought to be a bomb in the water. The suspicious artifact was collected and brought to shore, where it was placed inside a Civil Protection hut and the bomb squad called out. Although the Local Police and Guardia Civil thought it looked like a military flare, for safety reasons emergency protocols were activated and the area evacuated and cordoned off.
Whether on the sand, in the sea or in bars and nearby businesses, everyone between El Campano beach bar and Mare Nostrum along the seafront, and as far up Avenida del Mediterraneo at the first roundabout, were ordered to leave, and the area sealed off to await the arrival of specialist Tedax (Guardia Civil bomb squad) teams. Upon arrival, the Tedax officers analysed the artifact, confirmed that it was a canister containing red phosphorus often used as flares in military exercises at sea, and decided to carry out a controlled detonation just after 10.15pm. As it was not a bomb the
explosion was not a serious one, officers later reported, although onlookers were impressed by the loud bang and large amount of smoke it produced. Local Mayor Maria Eugenia Rufino said: “The riskiest part was when the artifact was manipulated as there was a danger of it exploding which made people panic, but once the specialists arrived they took control and dealt with it. I would like to congratulate everyone involved for their diligent work
under the guidance of the Guardia Civil.” Although intensive cleaning work was underway on the beach the following day, beachgoers have been warned to be careful just in case any fragments have been missed on the sand which could cause injuries.
ALMUÑECAR Council has asked the Junta de Andalucia regional government for help as it is worried about water resources. A severe drought this year is expected to affect thouSee page 7 sands of hectares of crops.
Tragic find A DAUGHTER was devastated to find the bodies of her elderly parents in Frigiliana on Tuesday morning (July
12). The man is believed to have killed his wife and then himself. See page 8