AND HERE IS THE NEWS…
….a quick glance at the latest local news with Caroline Manson
80 mobile Gendarmes deployed in Perpignan
From 1st September until the end of the year, 80 gendarmes have been allocated to the Perpignan Police Station to back up the existing force following a plea for help from Mayor Louis Aliot. They will be helping to target drugs trafficking – in particularly targeting four main territories in the city of Perpignan in order to dismantle the dealing points. Their first day of action resulted in 12 arrests.
Cap d’Ona voted the best beer in the world
At the World Beer Awards in England (apparently one of the most prestigious international competitions) the Catalan distillery Cap d’Ona has just been awarded the title for producing the “Best Beer in the World” for the 4th consecutive year. This year it is for its production of Wood Aged Brune Cap d’Ona
Toddler killed by hailstone
While most of us welcomed the storms which brought much needed rain and lower temperatures to the department, not all of the news was so good. The storm which swept over the department last Tuesday headed south into Spain and for 10 minutes, a violent hailstorm rained down on the outskirts of Girona, with witnesses stating that some of the hailstones were up to 10 centimetres in diameter, causing much damage to cars and roofs, and also causing injuries. Tragically a 20 month old toddler lost her life.
Tragic night on the roads of the Pyrénées-Oriéntales
Two serious accidents occurred on Friday evening – the first one involving a young cyclist who was hit by a car on the D81 between Torreilles and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque. Apparently there were two cyclists riding towards Saint-Laurent when one of them, a 14 year old tourist from Germany, veered off to the left and was then hit by the car. He was in a state of cardiorespiratory arrest when emergency services arrived and they were unable to save him. The 19 year old driver of the car was treated for shock. Just a few hours later, firefighters were called to the Canet-Perpignan road, where a man in his thirties was trapped in his car having made a number of barrel rolls. He was cut free from the vehicle and taken to hospital, unconscious and in a very serious condition.
Paragliding accident at Leucate
Emergency services were called to assist a man injured at the paragliding site on the Leucate cliff. He missed his take-off and crashed into the wall of the cliff resulting in serious hip and leg injuries. He was immediately cared for by the Leucate firefighters and a nurse from Narbonne, before being transported by helicopter to Narbonne hospital.
Body of man found in the Cady Canyon
A family became concerned when they had heard nothing for 48 hours from a 50 year old family member who had left Casteil to spend a day fishing in the Cady Canyon in the Canigou massif. On Friday evening several teams from the CRS Mountain Rescue team went to search the area and sadly found his body on Saturday morning. An autopsy has been requested but the death is believed to be accidental.
Body of missing man found in sand dunes
The body of a 29 year old man was discovered by a walker on Saturday morning, in the dunes between Canet and Saint-Cyprien. There were no signs of drowning or foul play, but the body had apparently been there all night. The coroner has ordered an autopsy. Sadly, just a few minutes after the discovery of the body, the police received a call from the family of the young man, who lived in Toulouges, who wanted to report him missing at they were worried not to have received news of him.
And finally…
An individual was arrested at 2am when police caught him breaking shop windows in Perpignan and stealing a television screen. Following an appearance in court later that day, he was released, and was then rearrested the following morning at 5.30am when he was caught breaking the window of a pizzeria in the city centre and stealing a tablet computer. He will now face court again, where he will also be tried for similar facts committed on August 7th. The ultimate ‘habitual criminal’.
