Brit holidaymaker killed in Tenerife after being swept into sea at popular tourist hotspot
Brit holidaymaker killed in Tenerife after being swept into sea at popular tourist hotspot
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A British holidaymaker has died after being swept into the sea by a wave at a popular tourist hotspot in Tenerife. The 60-year-old was one of three people who got into difficulties in the drama at Los Gigantes natural swimming pool in the west of the island. He was found lying face-down in the sea before a rescue helicopter, along with police, firefighters and emergency medical responders raced to the landmark.
The man was flown to a nearby football ground where rescue teams discovered he had gone into cardiac arrest. Efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful, authorities said. The other two people swept into the sea, both women, managed to reach safety themselves. One was taken to a health centre with minor injuries and the other treated for a panic attack.
It was not immediately clear this morning if the survivors were relatives or friends of the man who died and what their nationalities were. Police could not be reached early this morning to comment on local reports describing the victim as a British holidaymaker.
The tragedy occurred just before midday yesterday at the Los Gigantes natural pool in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, also known as Crab Island Pool and near to the four-star Barcelo Santiago Hotel. Although a concrete wall protects bathers, online travel site warnings advise tourists to stay out of the pool when ocean waves are high because they can wash back.
Local officials have been urging people in the Canary Islands to take care near the sea this week because of the strong swell and heavy waves. A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre, detailing yesterday’s operation, confirmed: “Emergency services intervened in the rescue of three people who had got into difficulties in the sea in Tenerife.
