Eleven people have been rescued from the water after a catamaran began sinking off Tabarca Island, near Santa Pola in Alicante province.

Maritime Rescue said it received an alert from the Valencian Emergency Coordination Centre on Saturday evening. The Salvamar Leo lifeboat, the Helimer 220 helicopter, a Guardia Civil patrol boat, the vessel Speis II and firefighters from Alicante City Council were sent to the scene.

Fire crews confirmed that all eleven occupants were pulled from the sea wearing life jackets and were safe and well. They were transferred to the port of Santa Pola, where medical teams carried out precautionary health checks.

The semi-submerged catamaran was later located and taken under tow. Maritime Rescue described the operation as “very complicated”, but the vessel was eventually brought back to Santa Pola with assistance from port craft. Officials said the incident highlights the importance of close coordination between emergency services at sea.