THREE DEAD IN HOLIDAY HOTSPOT POPULAR WITH BRITS AFTER ENORMOUS WAVES BATTER THE ISLAND
This is the terrifying moment an enormous wave crashed into onlookers - killing one and injuring nine as a tidal surge hit Tenerife.
The huge wave crashed down on a pier on Saturday in the popular northern city resort of Puerto de la Cruz as strong winds and treacherous weather struck the Spanish island.
Six French holidaymakers were also injured in a separate incident after suffering the same fate in Roque de las Bodegas on Tenerife's north-eastern coast.
In total, 15 people have been injured and three were killed during the dangerous weather that has battered the island this weekend.
A 79-year-old Dutch woman and 43-year-old local male were among those killed.
Overnight the body of a man whose identity is yet unknown was found floating in the sea off a beach called El Cabezo in Granadilla, the south west of the island.
The Foreign Office says they have received no reports of any British national injured or killed yesterday in the tidal surge in Tenerife.
At 3pm yesterday the incident with the most casualties, in which the elderly Dutch tourist tragically died, occurred as people were swept from the platform they were standing on into the sea by a huge tidal wave.
The regional government-run emergency response coordination team said at the time: 'A woman has died and nine people were injured after being swept into the sea by a wave.
'Local police and other people who were at the scene rescued those affected from the water.
'Police confirmed one of those had gone into cardiac arrest and began to try to revive her.
'Paramedics continued with those resuscitation efforts when they arrived without success and she was confirmed dead at the scene.
'Three of the nine people injured were in a serious condition when they were transferred to hospital.'
A spokesman for the centre said they had suffered a range of injuries, including hip and leg injuries. The injured were taken to different hospitals on the island.
The incident in which a 43-year-old man lost his life at Charco del Viento occurred just before 4.45pm.
Local reports described him as a local living in nearby La Orotava and said he had been fishing when he was swept into the sea.
Emergency responders said: 'The alert received said the man had fallen into the sea and needed help.
'A helicopter rescued him and took him to a helicopter landing area at the docks in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
'Once there he was confirmed dead due to the severity of the injuries he had suffered.
'An investigation led by the Civil Guard is ongoing.'
The first reported incident that happened at around 11.30am on Saturday that saw multiple French tourists injured is said to have happened after they ignored warning signs and got too close to the sea.
Emergency responders confirmed none of the French tourists had suffered life-threatening injuries. Three men and three women were among the casualties.
They managed to get out of the sea with the help of other people after being swept into the water. Five were taken to hospital, one by air ambulance.
The nationality of the man said to have been in cardiac arrest when he was pulled out of the sea at El Cabezo beach in Granadilla, around 2pm on Saturday, has not been revealed.
Local authorities say he was pulled out of the sea 'after being found floating in the water' and have not clarified yet whether he ended up in the ocean in the same circumstances as those swept off their feet by large waves.
The day of the three deaths, Canary Islands officials had reminded locals and holidaymakers to exercise 'maximum caution at the coast.'
They said: 'Don't stand at the end of piers or breakwaters, and do not risk taking photographs or videos near where the waves break.'
The alert about sea conditions was first sounded on Friday, when authorities warned people of the incoming tidal surge and strong winds, and advised people to avoid coastal paths and putting themselves at risk by taking photos and videos of the rough seas.
Officials say the Canary Islands remain on alert for coastal hazards.
Between January and October 54 people died from drowning in the Canary Islands.
Read more- Was this Tenerife coast wave surge disaster just another tragic twist in the drowning epidemic sweeping the Canary Islands this year?
- Fateful holiday: What led to the heart-stopping moment when tourists were swept away by fierce waves off Tenerife's coastline?
- How are British tourists' holiday plans in Tenerife and Gran Canaria being upended by nature's furious 40mph winds and 6ft waves?
- Why are experts and locals warning about the tumultuous seas at Benidorm's beaches after a deadly incident?
- Heartache on Holiday: What led to the sudden death of a four-year-old in a Tenerife hotel pool?
