All we know about Canary Islands bus crash as British pensioner, 77, killed and dozens injured
A 77-year-old British man died and 27 people were injured when his tourist bus fell into a cliff in the Canary Islands on Friday.
Authorities said three people, including a 73-year-old man and a 42-year-old man, were treated at the hospital for serious injuries.
The dead man’s name has not yet been released, but government officials confirmed on Friday that he was a British citizen.
He was believed to be traveling with his wife, who Spanish authorities said remained hospitalized Friday evening.
A state of emergency was declared on the islands after the bus crashed off the GM-2 highway near San Sebastian de La Gomera at around 13.15. All 28 people on the plane, including the driver, were hospitalized.
While the police claim that the driver may have tried to “fight” the brake failure before the vehicle fell into the cliff, investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing.
Here’s everything we know so far about the crash.
What happened?
The first alert to emergency services in La Gomera about the accident was made at 13.15 on Friday.
Firefighters, police, the Spanish Red Cross and many ambulances, including an air ambulance, were among the emergency response teams that responded to the British tourists and the driver.
One person died in the accident, and all 28 people in the vehicle, including the driver, were hospitalized.
Three people, including a 73-year-old man and a 42-year-old man, were seriously injured and transported to hospital in Tenerife.
The island is not a mainstream tourist destination, but is a small, mountainous island west of Tenerife with a population of about 23,000. There is no international airport and most of the people who spend time here are hikers, especially British and Germans.
What do we know about the victims?
All 27 passengers on the bus are understood to be British tourists in the Canary Islands heading to the San Sebastián de La Gomera pier, where they will travel by ferry to Tenerife before returning to the UK.
Everyone on board was initially hospitalized, but all but six people were discharged, officials said.
One of them is in serious but stable condition, two are in stable condition and the other three are expected to be discharged on Saturday.
The identity of the deceased has not yet been determined. He was apparently traveling with his wife, who authorities said was still hospitalized Friday evening.
Héctor Cabrera, head of emergency operations on the island, told public broadcaster TVE that the bus passengers were “staying at a resort” in La Gomera.
What caused the accident?
The exact cause of the accident is not yet known. However, police said they were investigating whether brake failure caused the bus to veer off the road after the driver noticed there was a problem with braking and “tried to fight”.
Juan Luis Navarro, island director of the general state administration, told reporters that the bus then left the road and rolled downhill.
“Luckily he stopped before he was thrown off the road,” he said. “Otherwise the situation could have been much more serious.”
Emergency services said the bus was expected to be removed from the valley on Saturday.
What was the reaction?
Shortly after the incident, Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo posted on X to support the victims and their families.
The British government later confirmed it was supporting the dead man’s family. A foreign office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man killed in a bus crash in the Canary Islands and are in contact with local authorities.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper wrote about X: “My thoughts are with those affected by the tragic incident involving a bus carrying British holidaymakers in the Canary Islands.
“We are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to support Britons and their families.”
