A woman who had been hospitalised after being swept away by a wave in the south of Tenerife has died, raising the number of fatalities from Sunday’s incident to four, according to sources from the Canary Islands Government quoted by EFE. Rescue teams are still searching for one missing person.
How the tragedy unfolded
The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday, when a large wave struck the natural pool at Isla Cangrejo, located along the coast of Los Gigantes, in the municipality of Santiago del Teide. The force of the wave dragged several people into the sea.
Initially, three bodies were recovered at the scene, while a fourth victim — the woman who later died in hospital — had been evacuated in critical condition.
Massive emergency response due to severe sea conditions
Given the scale and complexity of the incident, a major rescue operation was deployed, involving:
- Helimer helicopter from Maritime Rescue
- GES (Emergency and Rescue Group) helicopter
- SUC (Canary Islands Emergency Service) medical helicopter
- Several ambulances
- Civil Guard
- Local Police
- Local health personnel
Emergency responders confirmed the deaths of three people at the site. Another person was recovered in cardiac arrest and remains under advanced resuscitation. The search continues for the missing individual.
Incident occurred amid warnings of dangerous sea conditions
The tragedy happened while the Canary Islands were under a pre-alert for hazardous coastal phenomena. In recent days, the regional government had urged the public to avoid exposed coastal areas, warning of dangerous swells associated with the intense wave activity affecting the archipelago.
