Mallorca police arrested 12 passengers and were seeking 12 more Saturday who fled a plane during an emergency landing in an “unprecedented” incident possibly linked to illegal immigration, officials said.
The unauthorized exodus followed a passenger apparently being taken ill on a flight from Morocco to Turkey, with the plane forced to stage an emergency landing at Palma de Mallorca, one of Spain’s busiest airports.
“Twelve people have been arrested and 12 more have yet to be found,” Aina Calvo, the Spanish government’s representative in the Balearic Islands, told a news conference.