Latest news with #Murcia


Times
2 days ago
- General
- Times
Captured: moment seagull hits 600mph Typhoon at air show
A photographer has captured the moment a seagull collided with a Spanish fighter jet, shattering its canopy as it was performing aerobatic manoeuvres at an air show. A lesser black-backed gull flew into the path of the Eurofighter Typhoon as the plane was flying at about 600mph at the Aire 25 air show in San Javier in Murcia in June. Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero, an aviation photographer, captured the incident in a four-shot sequence before and after the moment the bird hit the right side of the windscreen. The final shot shows the shattered perspex and the pilot, who ended the flight and returned to land. The bird just before the strike and, below, the moment of impact JAVIER ALONSO DE MEDINA SALGUERO/SWNS JAVIER ALONSO DE MEDINA SALGUERO/SWNS Tens of thousands of birds hit aircraft in flight every year, almost always at low height near airports. The majority cause little damage. Most cases that make the news involve jets that suffer engine failure after their turbines ingest birds. A bird strike began the sequence that brought down a Jeju Air Boeing 737 in Muan, South Korea, in December, killing 179 people. Windshield strikes, which account for almost half of bird collisions with helicopters and about 20 per cent with fixed-wing planes, can be dangerous. Pilots have been killed and badly injured when larger birds have smashed through the windscreen, hitting them in the head and chest at speeds of more than 100mph. The impact energy of a seagull with a jet fighter near the speed of sound is huge, potentially destabilising it in low-altitude manoeuvres. The cost of replacing the canopy can run well into six figures. • Planes are striking more birds, but Detective Dove is on the case The photographer said he was using a Nikon D7500 with a 200-500mm lens when he saw the Eurofighter pull out of the display. 'They reported over the radio that it had hit a seagull and broken the cockpit. Just then, I looked at the photos I had and saw the whole sequence,' he said. 'I was amazed to see the front of the cockpit broken.' The pilot was able to land safely despite the shattered windscreen JAVIER ALONSO DE MEDINA SALGUERO/SWNS King Felipe was attending the show, in which there were displays by Spain's Eagle Patrol, the RAF's Red Arrows and Italy's Frecce Tricolori teams. The jet that hit the bird was from the Spanish air force's 11th wing, based in Moron.


The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Incredible pictures show moment seagull SHATTERS cockpit of £73MILLION warplane
A WARPLANE strikes a seagull at an airshow display — shattering the cockpit canopy. Incredibly the pilot was unharmed and able to land the £73million Eurofighter safely. 4 A photographer captured the split-second strike over the San Javier Air Base in Murcia, Spain, on June 15. But snapper Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero said he realised what had happened only after checking his photos. They show the gull swooping into the path of the jet, before the bird is hit and smashes a giant hole in the canopy. A huge cloud of debris can then be seen exploding out from the pilot's cockpit area Javier added: "I was at the base in the San Javier area, at the site where they took us photographers. 'We were watching the Eurofighter display when we saw it leave without finishing. "They reported over the radio it hit a seagull. "I had the whole sequence.' 4


Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment seagull strikes £73million Eurofighter shattering its cockpit during airshow
Explosive pictures show the moment a bird shattered the cockpit of a £73million warplane. Aviation photographer Javier Alonso de Medina Salguero captured the scene as a seagull hit a Eurofighter at a Spanish display in June. The images showed the bird soaring just in front of the display plane. A second photo showed a mist of red chunks and feathers sliding off the Eurofighter. Amazingly, Javier didn't notice what he had captured until checking out his pictures later. He explains: 'This happened at San Javier Air Base, on the beach of Santiago de la Ribera, Murcia on June 15. 'I was at the base in the San Javier area, at the site where they took us photographers. We were watching the Eurofighter display when we saw it leave without finishing the display. 'They reported over the radio that it had hit a seagull and broken the cockpit. Just then, I looked at the photos I had and saw the whole sequence. 'When I looked at the photos, I was amazed to see the front of the cockpit broken. 'Luckily, the pilot landed and was unharmed.' Javier used a Nikon D7500 with a Nikon 200-500mm telephoto lens. The incident happened at the Aire25 international air festival held at San Javier Air Base. Last year, a fighter plane was seen on tape apparently close to losing control and flying straight towards a crowd at a Turkish airshow. The aircraft can be seen rocking in the air before the pilot suddenly pulls the nose up just before it reaches the spectators. The terrifying incident happened at the TEKNOFEST airshow in Adana, southern Turkey on October 3 last year, local media has reported. It is understood the near-miss occurred at the end of a demonstration flight by the SoloTurk, Turkey's aircraft acrobatics team and involved a F-16 fighter jet. According to reports, an investigation was launched into the incident with experts examining the aircraft's video recordings and other flight information.


CNA
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Spain tightens scrutiny of far-right groups after clashes
MADRID: Spain said on Thursday (Jul 17) it would step up investigations into suspected crimes by members of far-right and racist groups after four nights of clashes with African migrants in some of the nation's worst such unrest of recent times. Authorities have detained 11 people and filed more than 60 complaints over hate crimes and disorder since violence erupted last Friday following an attack on a local man in his 60s in the town of Torre Pacheco in southeastern Murcia region. Police have detained three Moroccan men over the attack in a town where one third of the inhabitants are of migrant origin. The Interior Ministry said Spain's terrorism and organised crime intelligence specialists have been asked to include hate crimes within their remit and to monitor online spaces for incitement to violence. Far-right groups will be investigated for links to national movements, the ministry said, after government claims that Vox, the nationalist party that is now Spain's third largest electoral force, was inciting violence in Torre Pacheco. "We cannot allow hatred to take root in our society," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said during a meeting of law enforcement officials. "Crime is not on the rise, nor is it linked to migration," he added, countering a common refrain of far-right groups. Vox has denied responsibility for the unrest and blamed the socialist-led government's migration policies. Despite a 54 per cent rise in foreign residents between 2011 and 2024, crime has dropped seven percentage points, with hate crimes down 13.8 per cent last year and Spain among the world's 25 safest nations, Grande-Marlaska said. "UNACCEPTABLE ATTITUDES" As well as the Torre Pacheco trouble, in Alcala de Henares, west of Madrid, there were protests earlier this month after a man - identified as Malian by El Pais newspaper - was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault outside a migrant reception centre. Four people arrested during an unauthorised protest in front of the same centre are being investigated for disorder. Grande-Marlaska condemned the Torre Pacheco attack that triggered the unrest and highlighted swift police action to detain the three suspects including the suspected main perpetrator who was attempting to flee to France. Calls went out on social media for people to go to the town to "protect Spaniards" and "hunt north Africans". "These are unacceptable attitudes that have grown in recent years, encouraged by anonymity on social media, but also, and more seriously, by irresponsible politicians," the minister said. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks.


Reuters
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Spain tightens scrutiny of far-right groups after clashes
MADRID, July 17 (Reuters) - Spain said on Thursday it would step up investigations into suspected crimes by members of far-right and racist groups after four nights of clashes with African migrants in some of the nation's worst such unrest of recent times. Authorities have detained 11 people and filed more than 60 complaints over hate crimes and disorder since violence erupted last Friday following an attack on a local man in his 60s in the town of Torre Pacheco in southeastern Murcia region. Police have detained three Moroccan men over the attack in a town where one third of the inhabitants are of migrant origin. The Interior Ministry said Spain's terrorism and organised crime intelligence specialists have been asked to include hate crimes within their remit and to monitor online spaces for incitement to violence. Far-right groups will be investigated for links to national movements, the ministry said, after government claims that Vox, the nationalist party that is now Spain's third largest electoral force, was inciting violence in Torre Pacheco. "We cannot allow hatred to take root in our society," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said during a meeting of law enforcement officials. "Crime is not on the rise, nor is it linked to migration," he added, countering a common refrain of far-right groups. Vox has denied responsibility for the unrest and blamed the socialist-led government's migration policies. Despite a 54% rise in foreign residents between 2011 and 2024, crime has dropped seven percentage points, with hate crimes down 13.8% last year and Spain among the world's 25 safest nations, Grande-Marlaska said. As well as the Torre Pacheco trouble, in Alcala de Henares, west of Madrid, there were protests earlier this month after a man - identified as Malian by El Pais newspaper - was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault outside a migrant reception centre. Four people arrested during an unauthorised protest in front of the same centre are being investigated for disorder. Grande-Marlaska condemned the Torre Pacheco attack that triggered the unrest and highlighted swift police action to detain the three suspects including the suspected main perpetrator who was attempting to flee to France. Calls went out on social media for people to go to the town to "protect Spaniards" and "hunt north Africans". "These are unacceptable attitudes that have grown in recent years, encouraged by anonymity on social media, but also, and more seriously, by irresponsible politicians," the minister said. Spain has been open to migration and its economic benefits, even as other European governments have tightened borders. But debate has reignited, led by Vox, as plans to relocate unaccompanied underage migrants from the Canary Islands to the rest of Spain have been confirmed in recent weeks.