A small semirigid boat that had been lying on the seabed near the swimming area at Caló des Moro has been removed following a warning from beach users.

The approximately two-metre-long vessel was discovered in the waters off Sant Antoni de Portmany after several people using the beach alerted authorities to its presence during the previous week.

Beach users raise the alarm

According to Sant Antoni Town Hall, beach users reported seeing the sunken boat in the area outside the marked swimming zone.

Following the warning, officers from the Territorial Beach Unit of the Sant Antoni Local Police located the vessel during their routine surveillance work.

The officers photographed and documented the discovery before passing the information to the Town Hall's Environment Department so that arrangements could be made for its removal.

Boat removed from the seabed

The semirigid boat was subsequently removed from the seabed by the specialist company responsible for maintaining the municipality's bathing-area marker buoys.

The operation formed part of the municipality's ongoing beach maintenance and coastal-cleaning work, which includes removing sunken objects and other waste from the shoreline and surrounding waters.

The municipality has not publicly established when or why the boat sank.

There is also no indication in the information released that anyone was injured in connection with the incident.

Another recent removal from the coast

Sant Antoni Town Hall said the operation follows another recent intervention in the municipality's coastal waters.

A large engine was previously removed from the seabed near Es Pouet as part of the same programme of coastal maintenance and removal of submerged objects.

Part of ongoing beach maintenance

The Town Hall says these operations combine surveillance by the Local Police, information provided by members of the public and the work of specialist companies responsible for maintaining the municipality's bathing areas.

The latest intervention at Caló des Moro allowed the small vessel to be removed from the seabed after its presence was reported by beach users.

The municipality has not provided further details about the boat's owner, the circumstances in which it sank or how long it had been underwater.