A 44-year-old motorcyclist was fatally injured in a traffic accident that happened on the Orihuela Costa yesterday afternoon, Wednesday May 7th. According to sources from the Civil Guard Traffic Department, the deceased was involved in a head-on collision with a vehicle while operating a motorbike.

At approximately 7 p.m., the fatal collision took place at kilometre 3,500 of the CV-941 in Dehesa de Campoamor, Orihuela Costa.

A 33-year-old electrician has been apprehended in Alicante on suspicion of attempting to defraud his neighbours by feigning a new power interruption. He falsely claimed he was addressing a recent power disruption and demanded €50 from each of his neighbours.

The incident occurred in the La Florida neighbourhood around 7:30 p.m. on April 29th, according to sources involved in the case. This instance occurred just 24 hours after the large-scale outage that impacted Spain and Portugal. The man, who had a criminal record, allegedly caused the neighbours’ power to go out by tampering with the building’s electrical panels that afternoon. He then restored the power and demanded money from his neighbours, alleging that the fuse had blown and that he had replaced it to restore the power.

Some of the defendant’s neighbours did pay the €50 he was requesting; however, one neighbour became suspicious and contacted the utility company, which warned him of a potential scam. In addition, a neighbour went down to the electrical panel and observed the neighbour tampering with the meter. The woman and her son confronted the electrician. The electrician broke a glass door in the entrance hall with his bare hands, and the neighbour’s son went upstairs as the argument escalated.

It appears that the electrician pursued him with the intention of extorting 50 euros for the purported work he had performed. Attempting to persuade her to open the door and receive payment, he proceeded to the second floor to call on the door where he believed he resided. However, he proceeded to the incorrect door and knocked on the door of a woman who resides with her 16-year-old Yorkshire terrier.

The electrician repeatedly banged on the door, shouting harsh insults and threats, including “I’m going to kill you,” according to witnesses. The elderly woman refused to open the door until the National Police arrived. The woman’s dog was so distressed by the circumstance that it jumped onto the terrace and died instantly.

The individual who allegedly assaulted this neighbour’s door, resulting in material damage, has a criminal record and was apprehended for alleged threats prior to appearing in court.

The installation of the province’s first open seismic network will position in the Vega Baja at the vanguard of seismic research in Alicante. The real-time detection of both perceptible and less intense earthquakes will be facilitated by this project, which is being led by researchers Nahúm Méndez Chazarra (UV/UA) and Carlos García-Saura (UAM) and is being promoted by the Mastral Project. This will substantially enhance the understanding of seismic activity in the region.

The initiative was recently introduced at the European Geosciences Union Congress, which was held in Vienna. This event is one of the most significant scientific events in the field of Earth sciences on a global scale. This inventive development, which originated in the region, was the subject of study for over 20,000 researchers.

As evidenced by the catastrophic Torrevieja earthquake of 1829, the Vega Baja is one of the regions with the highest seismic risk on the Iberian Peninsula. The objective of this network is to enhance the accumulation of seismic data, as well as to cultivate a culture of prevention against potential earthquakes and increase public awareness.

The Mastral Project will facilitate the installation of seismometers and the dissemination of the collected data by providing logistical support through the use of its meteorological stations. This will contribute to a more accurate and accessible monitoring of seismic activity in the region.