Three people have died and 15 people have been injured this Saturday in different incidents related to the sea, on a day in which the Canary Islands are on alert for coastal phenomena. Several storm surges that occurred during the day have caused the death of two people and left 15 people injured, three of them seriously. During the day, the body of a man was also found floating in the sea on the beach of El Cabezo in Granadilla de Abona, in the south of the Island.
The first incident was recorded at 11:36 on the Roque de Las Bodegas beach in Taganana, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Six French tourists fell into the water due to a wave. The water swept away those affected after not obeying a preventive sign that was placed in the area, according to local police sources. One of the tourists was treated for moderate injuries and taken to the helisurface of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria University Hospital. The rest had minor injuries, although four of them have been hospitalized and a fifth was treated at the scene of the incident.
At 3:00 p.m., another similar situation occurred at the Puerto de La Cruz dock, as reported by the Government of the Canary Islands. Emergency personnel were mobilized after receiving an alert warning that several people had fallen into the water due to a storm surge.
Local Police officers and people who were in the area rescued those affected from the water. One of the women who had fallen was in cardiorespiratory arrest, so both the Local Police officers, first, and the health workers, later, performed resuscitation maneuvers on her, although they were unsuccessful.
Health services assessed and assisted nine other victims, three with serious injuries, four with moderate injuries and two with minor injuries. All have been transferred to the Canary Islands University Hospital, the North Hospital and the Hospiten Bellevue University Hospital.
In this last intervention, a total of five ambulances from the Canary Emergency Service (SUC) were mobilized, one medicalized, one sanitized and three basic life support ambulances, in addition to agents from the Local Police, National Police and Maritime Rescue.
At 4:43 p.m., 112 received another notice from a man who had fallen into the sea in the Charco del Viento area, in the municipality of La Guancha, also in the north of the island. A helicopter from the Government of the Canary Islands participated in the rescue efforts, which rescued the affected person and evacuated him to the helisurface of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife dock, where the SUC personnel confirmed his death due to the severity of the injuries he had suffered.
The third deceased is a man who was located at 2:00 p.m. floating in the sea on the beach of El Cabezo in Granadilla de Abona, in the south of the island. In this case, the lifeguards from the Beach Rescue Service verified that the affected person was in cardiorespiratory arrest and began to practice cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers until the arrival of the Canarian Emergency Service personnel, which continued without result, so they confirmed his death.
The emergency services of the Canary Islands have recalled that they are on pre-alert for coastal phenomena and have asked to exercise maximum caution, such as not standing at the end of docks or breakwaters or risking taking photographs or videos near where the waves break, in addition to following the instructions of the lifeguards.
