Azores Situation Report Wednesday 5th February 2025

Research resumes for missing fisherman on Santa Maria Island

Authorities resumed searches on Monday morning to try to locate a 34-year-old fisherman who is missing in Vila do Porto, on the island of Santa Maria.

Search operations are coordinated by the harbour captain and Local Commander of the Maritime Police of Vila do Porto.

According to a statement from AMN, elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police and the Port Authority of Vila do Porto and the Volunteer Fire Department of Santa Maria, a ship from the Portuguese Navy and an aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force are involved.

The fisherman was reported missing on Saturday, “after allegedly not returning from fishing.”

Following an alert received at 8:45 pm last Saturday, searches were initiated by the Local Command of the Maritime Police and the Port Authority of Vila do Porto.

AMN said in a press release on Sunday that the alert came from a family member, who reported that the man “had not returned from fishing”.

Immediately after the alert, elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Vila do Porto began searches between Ponta do Marvão and Prainha, having been interrupted at 00:00 on Sunday.

Authorities resumed operations on Sunday morning, with elements of the Local Command of the Maritime Police, the Port Authority of Vila do Porto and the Volunteer Fire Department of Santa Maria, and with the involvement of an aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force.

The search operations, coordinated by the port captain and Local Commander of the Maritime Police of Vila do Porto, were interrupted at the end of Sunday afternoon, “without having found the victim”.

The Maritime Police Psychology Office has been activated and is providing support to the victim’s family.

Man arrested in Horta for theft inside a residence

The PSP of Horta, on the island of Faial, arrested, in flagrante delicto, a 24-year-old man, for the alleged practice of the crime of theft inside a residence, in the parish of Praia do Almoxarife

According to a statement from the Azores PSP Regional Command, “1000 euros in cash and various objects originating from other criminal offences committed by the suspect were seized and recovered.

The defendant, who already had a criminal record for the same criminal activity, after being brought to his first judicial interrogation, was subject to “the obligation to report periodically to the Police Station, a ban on frequenting places associated with the sale and/or consumption of narcotics, a ban on contact with any person involved in the sale and/or consumption of narcotics and subject to treatment for drug addiction in an institution”.

The Horta Police Division recommends that “all citizens, whenever they become aware of suspicious situations or those related to the practice of illicit activities, contact, as soon as possible and by any means, any PSP Police Station in order to trigger police intervention in a timely manner and in order to better serve the community”.

My Saúde Açores application available from this Tuesday for all users in the archipelago

The ‘My Saúde Açores’ application, which allows you to schedule appointments and access telemedicine, among other features, is available from yesterday for all users in the archipelago, revealed the regional secretary for Health and Social Security

One of the main objectives of this application is to improve proximity and accessibility to healthcare for our users

Budgeted at 3.5 million euros, the application is part of the Azores Digital Hospital project, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), for a total of 30 million euros.

After an initial phase, in which it was tested in a closed environment for around a month on the island of São Miguel, ‘My Saúde Açores’ is now open to the entire population of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

The application will allow, for example, the scheduling and request of consultations, within the scope of primary health care, and the carrying out of teleconsultations, which will be an added value especially on islands without a hospital.

To access the application, users must enter their user number, which appears on their Citizen Card, and associate a mobile phone number, but the same mobile phone number can be associated with several users.

This way it is possible to register older people who do not use this type of tool, but whose family members or carers may have access to appointments or some type of information that concerns them.

The application will also present “informative content”, to “contribute to improving health literacy”, and may have alerts from the Regional Health Directorate or other institutions of the Regional Health Service.

During the first half of the year, new tools will be introduced.

There will be interoperability between the different health systems, both in hospitals and in the island’s health units. This has been a very strong demand from health professionals,

In addition to the User Portal, a portal will be created for doctors and another for boards of directors.

As part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the goal was set for the application to have 25,000 hits by September.

Government of the Azores with an action plan to combat the Asian hornet

An action plan to determine the location and geographic extent affected by the Asian hornet has been implemented by the Government of the Azores, following the detection of the insect in the region, the regional executive announced.

The plan, implemented by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food and the Agrarian Development Service of São Miguel, includes partnerships with several entities in the fight against and attempt to eradicate the Asian wasp.

According to a press release from the Azorean executive, on January 27th the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food was informed of the “existence of a wasp nest on a private property, in Areias de Rabo de Peixe, São Miguel Island”.

The nest was collected and, “after technical expertise, it was found that it belonged to individuals of the species Vespa Velutina Nigrithorax, commonly known as the Asian wasp”.

According to the Regional Government, this is a “predatory insect, causing serious negative impacts on the environment, biodiversity and beekeeping, and is also a safety problem for the population, as it is very aggressive when disturbed”.

The action plan “with a view to determining the location and geographical extent affected by this insect” includes the creation of a brigade specializing in the distribution, assembly and monitoring of wasp traps and a security perimeter within a five-kilometre radius of the outbreak.

Around 30 traps were installed on surrounding land and in the 18 apiaries within the intervention perimeter.

The Azorean executive states that the insect arrived on the continent in 2011, and at the time, a preventive surveillance system was established in the Azores for the presence of the insect.

“Until this sighting, no evidence had been detected” of its presence in the region, concludes the Government of the Azores.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 29th January 2025

Government of the Azores against the application of any tourist tax in the region

The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure of the Government, Berta Cabral, said she disagreed with the application of “any tourist tax” in the region, despite five of the six municipalities of São Miguel applying municipal taxes since January 1st.

“I am against any tourist tax. We are a new tourist destination, which is consolidating, and we can never be too careful when we want to introduce factors that disrupt our demand, and the tourist tax is, in fact, a disruption, whether we like it or not”, said the minister, when interviewed by the Economy Committee of the Azorean parliament, which met in Ponta Delgada.

Berta Cabral was referring to a proposal by the PAN’s sole deputy, Pedro Neves, who intends to create a regional tourist tax, worth three euros per day, for each tourist who visits any of the nine islands in the archipelago, although a municipal tourist tax has already been in force since the beginning of this year in most municipalities on the largest island in the Azores.

“We could end up with a doubling of fees and this doubling could reach 12 euros per person”, warned the head of the Regional Government’s Tourism portfolio, adding that this situation “is not justified”, nor is it “reasonable”, and could even drive some tourists away from the region.

Around 50 vehicles vandalized overnight in Água de Pau

Around 50 vehicles were vandalized, with their tires punctured, during the early hours of Sunday in several streets and parking lots in the town of Água de Pau, with several people already filing a complaint with the Public Security Police (PSP)

The president of the Água de Pau Parish Council, Vanessa Silva, explained that the night was “troubled”, with several cars being “vandalized”, in what she considered a “regrettable” situation.

Vanessa Silva also stated that the Police have already been to Água de Pau and people are already formalizing complaints.

The mayor of Lagoa, Frederico Sousa, explained that there is only evidence of damage to vehicles, and that the reasons for the acts of vandalism that took place in Água de Pau are unknown. Although he stated that the investigation must be completed, the mayor of Lagoa admitted that everything indicates that it was an isolated act.

According to RTP-Açores, after collecting testimonies from the population, the PSP has already identified the suspect responsible for this crime, who can only be held responsible for the damages caused following formal complaints.

Air Force to transport essential goods to Flores

The Portuguese Air Force will transport essential goods to the island of Flores tomorrow, Friday, due to the bad weather that continues to affect supplies by sea, announced the Government of the Azores

The Government of the Azores has taken several steps to ensure alternative solutions for supplying the island of Flores, including activating the resources of the Portuguese Air Force to transport essential goods by air, which will be carried out if the conditions for the operation are met.

Strong sea agitation has been affecting regular supplies to the islands of Flores and Corvo.

Navy coordinates rescue off the coast of the Azores

The Navy, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Delgada) coordinated, since 6:47 am on Sunday, the rescue of two crew members of the rowing vessel “ZOLEO”, flying the Hungarian flag.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 22nd January 2025

Banana from the Azores in the process of being classified as a Protected Geographical Indication

The Açoreana Agricultural Cooperative of Horticultural Producers said it is working on the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) classification of Azorean bananas to promote sustainable growth in the sector and “guarantee product quality.”

The president of Frutaçor, Carlos Araújo, said that the cooperative intends “to register the banana from the Azores as IGP with the aim of promoting the sustainable growth of the crop and guaranteeing the quality of the product, creating a strategy to win over and retain customers who identify it as an IGP banana, giving it notoriety”.

Bad weather causes 13 incidents in the early hours of the morning in the Azores

Bad weather in the Azores caused 13 incidents on the islands of São Miguel, Faial, Terceira and Pico in the early hours of Monday morning, mainly related to falling trees.

According to the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA), eight incidents were recorded on the island of São Miguel, in the municipalities of Ponta Delgada, Povoação and Ribeira Grande.

Three situations occurred on Pico Island, one on Faial Island and another on Terceira Island.

“The incidents are mainly related to falling trees. There are also reports of damage to electricity poles and the roof of a building [bakery],” according to the SRPCBA.

The nine islands of the Azores are under orange and yellow warnings, because of depression Garoe which, according to a statement from the Azores Meteorological Forecast and Surveillance Center of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), is expected to continue until Tuesday.

Fire destroys hotel unit in the city of Lagoa

A fire destroyed almost the entire Sul Villas hotel unit, located in the city of Lagoa, in the parish of Santa Cruz, this Wednesday night.

According to João Moniz, operational, from the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Firefighters, the fire, due to the materials that make up the hotel infrastructure, quickly spread throughout the hotel, also helped by the force of the wind that at the beginning of the night fed the fire for a few hours.

The causes of the fire, which broke out at around 5:00 pm, are currently unknown and more than two dozen members of the volunteer fire brigades of Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande and Vila Franca do Campo were involved in fighting the fire, supported by six fire trucks and two ambulances.

The fire was considered under control at 9:04 pm, and since then work has been underway to extinguish the fire, which forced a firefighter to be evacuated to CUF, in Lagoa, due to physical discomfort resulting from smoke inhalation.

The resident of one of the houses was also treated at the scene due to smoke inhalation.

As a precaution, as stated by the president of the Lagoa City Council, Frederico Sousa, two houses close to the hotel unit were evacuated and their residents were rehoused, during the night, in the homes of relatives.

The mayor of Lagoa also added that the operations on the ground also had the collaboration of PSP agents from the Lagoa police station.

All immigrants now have access to social mobility subsidy in the Azores

All immigrants who have resided in the Azores for more than six months will now have access to the social mobility subsidy, according to an amendment to the law approved unanimously this Friday in the national parliament.

The subsidy in question is intended for air transport between the Azores and the mainland and Madeira, for which beneficiaries pay a reduced price.

The proposal under debate and vote – unanimously approved by the Legislative Assembly of the Azores on December 13th, with reference to entry into force together with the State Budget law for 2025, already published in the Official Gazette – extends access to the social mobility subsidy to all immigrants residing in the Azores for more than six months.

The Regional Government had previously advocated a “clarification” of the law that regulates the social mobility subsidy, to ensure that “all residents” in the archipelago were entitled to support, regardless of nationality.

Until now, by law, the social mobility subsidy only covered Portuguese citizens, citizens of the European Union (EU), States that are part of the Schengen Agreement (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) and States with which the EU and Portugal have cooperation and friendship agreements (such as Brazil), leaving out a total number estimated at 2,500 people – which, according to the calculations of MP Inês Sousa Real (PAN), meant that more than 60% of immigrants were left out.

In the debate on the proposal held in the Assembly of the Republic, the PS recalled that the exclusion has never been implemented since the social mobility subsidy was created in 2015.

However, with the current Government (PSD/CDS-PP) in office, several immigrants living in the autonomous regions have been excluded in recent months, according to news reports in Diário de Notícias and on RTP’s regional channels in the Azores and Madeira.

The exclusion arises from the fact that CTT – where the refund of the difference between the amount initially paid for the trip and the amount defined for residents is collected – considers that the subsidy in question only covers national citizens, from the European Union or from countries with free movement treaties with Portugal (as is the case of Brazil).

The PSD justified the change with the need to make it clear, in the law, that the subsidy applies to all immigrants who have resided in the region for more than six months.

This is because, in the meantime, a “restricted and rigorous interpretation” of the law has begun to be made, as recalled by deputy Isabel Mendes Lopes (Livre), defending that “no one in the Azores is deprived of the social mobility subsidy”.

“The law was poorly drafted. Fortunately, over the course of nine years, it was never applied, as it is completely unfair,” agreed MP Fabian Figueiredo (BE).

“These 2,500 immigrants living in the Azores are perfectly integrated and in line with the law, it is only fair that they naturally access this mobility subsidy”, highlighted MP Paulo Moniz (PSD), lamenting the “injustice”, which has resulted in “unacceptable, perhaps unconstitutional, discrimination”.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 15th January 2025

Cancer mortality rate rises in the Azores in contrast to the country as a whole

The Autonomous Region of the Azores not only has the highest cancer mortality rate in the country, but it has also been growing since 2020, in contrast to what is happening on the mainland and in Madeira.

This is one of the conclusions set out in the audit entitled “Regional Strategy for the Prevention and Combat of Oncological Diseases” that the Azores Regional Section of the Court of Auditors (SRATdC) published last week.

The SRATdC document revealed that the Azores, “considering all ages and both sexes”, have the highest cancer mortality rate in the country, both crude (281.9 per 100,000 people) and standardized (192.6 per thousand people), despite having the youngest population, but, at the same time, the one that “has the lowest average life expectancy at birth”.

And the comparison, made by the auditor, covers the period between 2017 and 2023, not counting the last year, which in the Region was marked by the HDES fire and consequent shockwaves for the health of the Azoreans, with a reduction in all hospital activity, especially regarding complementary diagnostic and therapeutic means.

As for new cases, the characterization that is made reveals that, between 2017 and 2023, the most affected age group was those aged 60 to 74, with 41%, followed by people over 75 (27%), and the age group between 45 and 60 (18.3%).

In other words, 86.3% of new cases diagnosed in this period occurred in people aged 45 or over.

However, comparing with the figures for Madeira and mainland Portugal, the number of cancer cases recorded in people aged 45 or over was 93%, 6.7 percentage points more than in the Azores.

In other words, “in the Azores, cancer affects younger groups of the population, a matter that could be the subject of analysis within the scope of the study on the causes of cancer in the Azores, currently underway”, states the audit.

A study commissioned in December 2018, and which had a 3-month deadline, but which is still not completed in 2025, a delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic (which only began in March 2020, that is, one year and three months after the study was awarded to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra). According to the entity responsible for the study, it was resumed in 2022 but is not yet completed.

The audit also reveals that the age group with the highest incidence of cancer is between 60 and 74 years old, both in men (805 cases, corresponding to 45.8% of the total) and women (608 cases, 36%).

However, up to the age of 59, women always have higher incidence rates than men (except in the 15-29 age group), in some cases twice as high, such as in the 30-44 age group, with 248 cases, compared to 117 cases in men. From the age of 60 onwards, there is a notable prevalence of tumours in men, almost always around twice as high.

By sex, the most common cancer in women was breast cancer (448 cases, 26.5% of the total), followed by thyroid cancer (108 cases) and uterine body cancer (86). These three types of tumours account for 38% of new cases of cancer diagnosed.

In men, prostate cancer is the most prevalent, with 279 cases (15.9%), followed by cancer of the trachea, bronchi and lungs, with 185 cases (10.5% of the total) and cancer of the colon and rectum, with 135 cases (7.7% of the total). These three types of cancer account for more than a third of new cases.

Earthquake measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale felt in São Miguel

An earthquake measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale was felt this morning in the parish of Furnas, on the island of São Miguel

According to the Azores Seismo-volcaeic Surveillance and Information Centre (CIVISA), the earthquake was recorded at 1:18 am and had its epicentre approximately 3 km west of Furnas.

According to information available from CIVISA, the earthquake was felt with maximum intensity IV (Modified Mercalli Scale) in Furnas (municipality of Povoação), Ponta Garça and Ribeira das Tainhas (municipality of Vila Franca do Campo).

The event was also felt with intensity III in Ribeira Quente (Popoação municipality).

Azores break record for number of passengers disembarking at airports for the third consecutive year

The Azores broke the record for passengers disembarking at airports in 2024, with around 2.3 million passengers, 8.3% more than in 2023, according to data released by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA)

During 2024, 177,115 more passengers disembarked than in the previous year, an annual variation of 8.3%.

In total, 2,316,543 people disembarked at the archipelago’s nine airports between January and December 2024.

In 2022 and 2023, the region had already reached record numbers of air transport passengers, with 1.8 and 2.1 million arrivals, respectively.