Azores Situation Report Thursday 31st October 2024

 

51-year-old man dies after being swept away by the sea

A 51-year-old Belgian man, who was swept away by a rip current on Monte Verde beach last Friday, ended up dying, having been declared dead in the Emergency Department of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo.

Last Friday, a man and a child were rescued on Monte Verde beach, after being swept away by riparian waves.

According to the National Maritime Authority, the 51-year-old man and the 12-year-old child, both of Belgian nationality, were rescued “after allegedly getting into difficulties in the water, after being dragged by large swells, on Monte Verde beach, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande”.

The alert was received at 4:45 pm on Friday, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, with elements of the local command of the Ponta Delgada Maritime Police and the ‘Sea Watch’ project being mobilized to the location.

The National Maritime Authority revealed that, upon arrival at the scene, rescuers found that the child, assisted by a swimmer who was nearby, “was physically well, without needing medical assistance”.

The man, who was in cardiorespiratory arrest, “was rescued to land by a surfer, and was immediately assisted by lifeguards from the Ribeira Grande pools, in collaboration with members of the SRPCBA”, who later transported him to the hospital in Ponta Delgada.

According to the hospital, the man ended up dying, having been declared dead in the Hospital’s Emergency Department.

 

Seven suspects arrested for involvement in hard drug trafficking network in Ponta Delgada

The PSP arrested six men, and one woman accused of trafficking hard drugs in the parish of Livramento, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, as part of a “family-oriented” network

Following suspicious movements near a café in the parish, the police detected “an intense and abnormal flow of drug addicts heading towards the establishment and its surrounding area”.

According to the statement released, “various indications and evidence were then collected that pointed to the existence of a network of drug traffickers, of a family nature, suspected of carrying out transactions of significant quantities of hard drugs, specifically heroin and synthetic drugs”.

The PSP carried out three house searches and 11 non-house searches, having seized synthetic drugs, money, three cars and four motorcycles, among other objects.

The seven people were brought before a criminal investigating judge at the Ponta Delgada Court, and the most serious coercive measure, preventive detention, was applied.

The PSP added that two other arrests of suspects linked to this criminal network had previously been made, with one of them being under house arrest.

 

Soldier dies in Ponta Delgada during physical condition diagnostic test

A soldier died this Wednesday following a cardiorespiratory arrest that occurred “during the physical condition diagnostic test” at the São Gonçalo Military Camp, in Ponta Delgada, announced the Army, which opened an investigation process.

“It is with pain and great consternation that the Portuguese Army announces the death of a recruit soldier from the 6th Common General Training Course for Army Enlisted Personnel, incorporated on October 21st, into the 2nd Garrison Regiment, who left prematurely and unexpectedly”, said a statement released this Wednesday.

According to the Army, the death of the 22-year-old soldier occurred at the São Gonçalo Military Camp, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, “following a cardiorespiratory arrest that occurred during the physical condition diagnostic test (Cooper Test), which all recruit soldiers take at the beginning of their training”.

“The soldier was immediately evacuated, by ambulance, to the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, where resuscitation manoeuvres were carried out, without success, and his death was declared at the end of the morning”, it adds.

The Army added that it “activated psychological support for the family” and opened an investigation process to determine the causes of what happened.

The soldier was from the municipality of Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel.

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 30th October 2024

51-year-old man dies after being swept away by the sea

A 51-year-old Belgian man, who was swept away by a rip current on Monte Verde beach last Friday, ended up dying, having been declared dead in the Emergency Department of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo.

Last Friday, a man and a child were rescued on Monte Verde beach, after being swept away by riparian waves.

According to the National Maritime Authority, the 51-year-old man and the 12-year-old child, both of Belgian nationality, were rescued “after allegedly getting into difficulties in the water, after being dragged by large swells, on Monte Verde beach, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande”.

The alert was received at 4:45 pm on Friday, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, with elements of the local command of the Ponta Delgada Maritime Police and the ‘Sea Watch’ project being mobilized to the location.

The National Maritime Authority revealed that, upon arrival at the scene, rescuers found that the child, assisted by a swimmer who was nearby, “was physically well, without needing medical assistance”.

The man, who was in cardiorespiratory arrest, “was rescued to land by a surfer, and was immediately assisted by lifeguards from the Ribeira Grande pools, in collaboration with members of the SRPCBA”, who later transported him to the hospital in Ponta Delgada.

According to the hospital, the man ended up dying, having been declared dead in the Hospital’s Emergency Department.

Seven suspects arrested for involvement in hard drug trafficking network in Ponta Delgada

The PSP arrested six men, and one woman accused of trafficking hard drugs in the parish of Livramento, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, as part of a “family-oriented” network

Following suspicious movements near a café in the parish, the police detected “an intense and abnormal flow of drug addicts heading towards the establishment and its surrounding area”.

According to the statement released, “various indications and evidence were then collected that pointed to the existence of a network of drug traffickers, of a family nature, suspected of carrying out transactions of significant quantities of hard drugs, specifically heroin and synthetic drugs”.

The PSP carried out three house searches and 11 non-house searches, having seized synthetic drugs, money, three cars and four motorcycles, among other objects.

The seven people were brought before a criminal investigating judge at the Ponta Delgada Court, and the most serious coercive measure, preventive detention, was applied.

The PSP added that two other arrests of suspects linked to this criminal network had previously been made, with one of them being under house arrest.

Soldier dies in Ponta Delgada during physical condition diagnostic test

A soldier died this Wednesday following a cardiorespiratory arrest that occurred “during the physical condition diagnostic test” at the São Gonçalo Military Camp, in Ponta Delgada, announced the Army, which opened an investigation process.

“It is with pain and great consternation that the Portuguese Army announces the death of a recruit soldier from the 6th Common General Training Course for Army Enlisted Personnel, incorporated on October 21st, into the 2nd Garrison Regiment, who left prematurely and unexpectedly”, said a statement released this Wednesday.

According to the Army, the death of the 22-year-old soldier occurred at the São Gonçalo Military Camp, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, “following a cardiorespiratory arrest that occurred during the physical condition diagnostic test (Cooper Test), which all recruit soldiers take at the beginning of their training”.

“The soldier was immediately evacuated, by ambulance, to the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, where resuscitatation were carried out, without success, and his death was declared at the end of the morning”, it adds.

The Army added that it “activated psychological support for the family” and opened an investigation process to determine the causes of what happened.

The soldier was from the municipality of Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel.

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 23rd October 2024

Terra Nostra Park Thermal Tank undergoing enhancement and modernization works

The Thermal Tank of the Terra Nostra Park, in Furnas, will undergo improvement works, starting on Monday, in order to offer a new landscape setting and modernize the maintenance system.

According to a press release, at the beginning of 2025, the thermal tank will once again be accessible to all visitors.

Designed by architect Luís Paulo Faria Ribeiro, the project has as its “great priority the reorganization and enhancement of the surroundings of the Thermal Tank of the Terra Nostra Park”, states the press release.

“The proposed intervention strategy is strongly based on the heritage value of Terra Nostra Park, in its landscape, botanical, environmental and tourist dimensions. Of particular importance in this process is the fact that the Tank and its surroundings constitute the area where the park originated, the oldest one, and at the same time the area with the greatest affluence and current use for recreation and leisure”, explained Luís Paulo Faria Ribeiro.

The intervention, planned over a year ago, also includes the modernization of the Thermal Tank maintenance system, namely by forced recirculation of the entire volume of thermal water in ultraviolet systems, to promote more efficient and sustainable management, without altering the idiosyncrasy of these waters, which are so appreciated.

Visitors to Parque Terra Nostra, which is permanently open, can continue to enjoy the beauty and botanical richness of this centuries-old park.

Three new services for the homeless in Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada City Council and the Regional Government are preparing to create three new decentralized services to welcome and intervene with homeless people in the municipality

In consultation with the Regional Government, three new services will be created to welcome and intervene with homeless people in the municipality.

They are working to create new points of approach to these situations, both the Ponta Delgada City Council and the Regional Government, and very soon a set of infrastructures will be announced that will be created precisely to mitigate these effects of poverty and social exclusion, through the creation of overnight accommodation, food and hygiene areas.

Recognizing that homelessness is a problem in Ponta Delgada, the mayor argued that the response to this problem requires a diverse set of actions, given the different profiles that these citizens present.

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 16th October 2024

Azorean donkey milk exported for human consumption and cosmetic products

Asinus Atlânticus: a company born out of chance that produces more than 100 litres of donkey milk per day for the United States, Romania, the Czech Republic and France.

The product is in demand due to its similarity to breast milk. “It is the closest thing to breast milk that exists in nature, with a protein profile that is almost 100% identical. This gives it unique characteristics, not only in terms of nutrition, but also in terms of cosmetics. As for nutrition, it is a hypoallergenic milk, and its benefits for the respiratory system are widely known. Older people will all remember that donkey milk was used to treat whooping cough. After Covid, consumption soared, especially in markets in northern Europe.

In the Middle Ages, alongside orphanages, there were always large asylums that allowed newborns who were left on wheels to be fed. It is this culture that we are recovering with a large national study that we will begin next year. As for cosmetics, just talk about Cleopatra and her daily beauty bath in the milk obtained from the milking of 100 donkeys. In fact, donkey milk stimulates the production of collagen in the skin and this was Cleopatra’s empirical secret, which the cosmetics industry has now recovered”, says the businessman who laments all the contingencies of insularity in the export of the product. “Distance is a factor that has enormous costs, not only in getting the product to customers but also in contact with them. These are all extra costs that are not properly supported. A true export policy must be based on this reality.

Civil Protection carries out exercise today to test evacuation in Cinco Ribeiras

The Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores (SRPCBA), in partnership with the Municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and the Parish Council of Cinco Ribeiras, on Terceira Island, is carrying out this Tuesday, at 6 pm, the BASALTO 24.4 exercise, with the aim of training the evacuation of the parish.

This exercise “will simulate the need to evacuate the parish of Cinco Ribeiras, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo”.

Through this simulation, the Civil Protection of the Azores intends to train the “procedures and means necessary for evacuation with the participation of the local population, the coordination and response of the entities involved and the reception in the Population Concentration and Support Zones (ZCAP)”.

BASALTO 24.4 is part of the quarterly exercises that the SRPCBA develops throughout the year, this time it will take place in the LIVEX (Live Exercise) mode, that is, with the movement of resources and operators on the ground and, for the first time, will involve the direct participation of the population, explains the press release.

The BASALTO 24.4 exercise also includes the participation of the Municipal Council of Praia da Vitória, the Fire Departments of Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória, the Regional Directorate of Health, the Regional Directorate of Public Works, the Portuguese Red Cross, the Public Security Police, the National Republican Guard, the Port Authority of Angra and the Social Security Institute of the Azores.