Costa Blanca
Earthquake drill about to start in Torrevieja

Torrevieja is conducting an earthquake exercise today, Friday March 21st. Federico Alarcón, Councillor for Security and Emergencies, proclaimed that the city is conducting this drill to “be prepared in case something similar happens again, God forbid,” concomitant with the tragedy that occurred in 1829 as a result of an earthquake that impacted the entire Vega Baja region. Additionally, the councillor underscores the significance of “mutual understanding” among all agencies involved in an emergency situation, such as an earthquake. Efficient mitigation necessitates the manner in which those who are required to respond to a catastrophe do so. In reality, this exercise will involve a variety of entities, including the Red Cross, Civil Guard, Civil Protection, Local Police, SAMU (National Emergency Management Service), and firefighters.
The earthquake exercise will be conducted in three phases, as per Tomás Jesús Gallardo, the head of the Torrevieja Main Fire Station. The initial phase, “phase 0”, will involve a seismic alert. During this period, a Municipal Operational Coordination Centre (CECOPAL) will be established to determine whether the municipality’s schools should be evacuated in the event of “the imminent occurrence of a hypothetical earthquake”. The intervening bodies will concentrate on resolving the situation in the second phase, with a particular emphasis on the Sports Palace and the Las Lagunas Secondary School. Lastly, the “normalisation phase” will involve a press conference to provide an update on the seismic event, the response, and its repercussions.
The Councillor for Security and Emergencies emphasised that this is merely an exercise, as numerous residents mistakenly contact emergency services during these drills, believing them to be genuine emergencies. Indeed, Torrevieja is scheduled to host the weekly Friday market during the exercise, which commences at 9:30 a.m. Federico Alarcón says that the exercise will not encounter any difficulties due to this market. He also stated that it is advantageous that the potential earthquake does not occur at a time that is convenient for all parties involved.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Costa Blanca
Elche mother sentenced to 19 years for the murder of her son and the abuse of her twins

A woman has been sentenced to a total of 19 years and seven and a half months in prison by the Jury Court of the Seventh Section of the Alicante Court, which is located in Elche. She was convicted of murdering her two-year-old son in Bigastro by suffocation after having routinely abused him, as she had done with her other sons.
The Court, which upheld the jury’s verdict, convicted her of one count of murder, another count of habitual abuse, and six counts of bodily harm. The Court considered the aggravating circumstance of kinship and the mitigating circumstances of confession, undue delay, and acting under the influence of drugs.
The convicted woman is required to pay €100,000 in compensation to each of the deceased’s two brothers, as well as an additional €10,000 to the deceased’s twin, for the injuries and after-effects he experienced as a result of the incident.
A house in the town of Bigastro was the residence of the mother and her children, who were two-year-old twins and a nine-year-old girl at the time, as indicated by the statement of proven facts in the sentence. The convicted woman struck the twins with a variety of objects on the head, torso, or extremities and shook them on at least six occasions, resulting in multiple fractures.
On June 11th, 2022, the woman returned from the park with the two children and, after putting one of them to bed, grabbed the other by the neck and squeezed him until he perished by strangulation, the attacks continued repeatedly, establishing a climate of peaceful disruption.
The jury determined that the defendant’s psychological state was exacerbated by her drug use since the age of 20, which had a detrimental impact on her willpower at the time of the homicide. The prosecution and defence concurred with the Prosecutor’s Office during the oral hearing, while the defendant acknowledged the facts. The Alicante Court’s sentence is not definitive and may be appealed to the Civil and Criminal Division of the TSJCV.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Costa Blanca
A second runway at Alicante-Elche Airport has been rejected by the government

As per a parliamentary response to PP senator Agustín Almodóbar, the Government has disregarded the long-awaited second runway for the Miguel Hernández airport in Alicante-Elche, at least for the next few years. Almodóbar emphasised that the airport has experienced a surge in traffic of over two million travellers in a single year.
“Do you not believe that it would be necessary, given the increasing demand, and that the investment would be more than justified, as has been long demanded by Alicante institutions and society?” The Popular Party leader enquired, characterising the work that Pedro Sánchez’s administration had planned as “insufficient”.
Nevertheless, the Upper House’s response is unequivocal: “Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport currently possesses modern, secure facilities, as well as competitive pricing and an adequate capacity to satisfy air traffic demand and ensure the mobility of its residents.”
The government contends that the “airport manager” already conducts “planning” in accordance with “operational needs and expected traffic demand”, and AENA predicts “future behaviour” in the “sizing” of these infrastructures.
At present, the project is anticipated to encompass “adaptation of the terminal and traffic areas”, as stated in the technical description of the works that were tendered in January of last year. This is part of the first segment of Asistencia Técnica de Redacción de Proyecto (Technical Assistance for Project Draughting,) which is valued at €19.8 million.
In contrast, the second runway is “envisioned as the airport’s ultimate expansion in the current Master Plan and will be constructed only when it is deemed necessary to satisfy the anticipated demand, as determined by technical criteria.”
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Costa Blanca
Police prevent three squatters from taking over an Alicante home

According to sources from the City Council, three squatters were apprehended after the intervention of officers from the Sant Vicent del Raspeig (Alicante) Local Police and the Guardia Civil prevented them from invading a residence.
On Saturday March 15th, the Benemérita requested the municipal security force’s intervention in response to an alleged attempt by multiple suspects to occupy the property.
The main post had been previously contacted to report an additional purported illegal entry on Velázquez Street.
The Guardia Civil assisted the local police officers in the arrest after they made several arrangements with the householder. The police arrived immediately. The suspects were transported to the headquarters of the State Security Forces.
Discover more from Costa Blanca Daily
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
Costa Blanca1 week ago
More than 1.5 million bottle caps are donated by Benidorm to the “Caps for a New Life” charity initiative
-
Costa Blanca1 week ago
A couple from El Campello who were wanted for the nation’s biggest cocaine haul turn themselves in
-
Costa Blanca6 days ago
In Benidorm, a repeat abuser breaks into his ex-‘s home and assaults her
-
Costa Blanca5 days ago
The importance of bees is a topic that children in Alicante are being taught
-
Costa Blanca6 days ago
In 2024, the Emergency Department received over 250,000 calls from Alicante
-
Costa Blanca2 days ago
Elche is seeking tender for an additional 22,000 plants, shrubs, and flowers from 150 different species
-
Costa Blanca1 week ago
Two men arrested after robbing an Alicante man, setting fire to his car and abandoning it in the mountains
-
Costa Blanca2 weeks ago
A huge anabolic laboratory in Alicante is dismantled by the National Police