Two tourists have been arrested in Majorca on suspicion of raping a young German woman on a beach in Playa de Palma.

The woman, 20, claimed she was being raped by the German man when the second man, who happened to be walking past, said he wanted to join in.

She said she managed to escape the suspects, a 32-year-old German and 21-year-old Afghan, by running into the sea half-naked on Sunday.

Police officers on the look-out for pickpockets on the beach heard the woman shouting for help at around 4.45am and arrested the men within minutes.

Spanish police released this image of their arrest of the German and Afghan suspects after Sunday's incident

Last week, the Civil Guard of Calvià arrested a young Frenchman for the alleged rape of a British tourist on the beach of Magaluf. The suspect was staying with a group of friends in the same hotel as the injured party.

The day afterwards, more than 50 people took part in a protest rally organised by the Feminist Movement of Mallorca. The group said it chose the coastal area of Calvia because of 'the conflicts arising because of excessive tourism'.

Police are concerned that young girls who have drunk too much are being taken advantage of, either suffering sexual assaults or thefts.

A special operation at the weekend led to the arrest of a dozen people of different nationalities - four Spaniards, three Romanians, two Algerians, an Iranian, a Senegalese and a Costa Rican - on suspicion of pickpocketing.

Two other men, one Senegalese and one Nigerian, were also arrested for drug trafficking.