Three dead, 15 injured Giant waves pull tourists into the sea on Spanish vacation island
Many tourists were affected.
Image: dpa
The warnings from the authorities came in good time, but were ignored by many.
Image: dpa
Many tourists were affected.
Image: dpa
The warnings from the authorities came in good time, but were ignored by many.
Image: dpa
Three people have been killed by giant waves on the Spanish vacation island of Tenerife. According to the rescue services, the incidents occurred on Saturday at three different locations on the Canary Island.
10.11.2025, 05:30
10.11.2025, 05:34
SDA
Giant waves have washed numerous people into the sea on Tenerife - including many tourists, mainly from France. Three people lost their lives in various incidents on the coast, the authorities on the Spanish vacation island announced. A total of 15 people were also injured. According to information from the Foreign Office in Berlin, three Germans also suffered minor to moderate injuries in the incidents.
"Tragic day on Tenerife's coasts", headlined the newspaper "Diario de Avisos". Among the fatalities is a woman who, according to media reports, was Dutch and 79 years old. The nationality was confirmed by the authorities on request, but the age was not yet known.
The woman was swept into the sea on Saturday afternoon in the town of Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast of the Canary Island along with nine other people by the force of the water masses hitting the land. Police officers and passers-by were able to bring everyone ashore again. However, the Dutch woman suffered a cardiac arrest and died despite resuscitation attempts by paramedics on site. The other nine people, including three French tourists, were taken to various hospitals, some with serious injuries.
Plunged to their deaths while fishing
The second fatality was reported in Charco del Viento, around 15 kilometers west of Puerto La Cruz. A 43-year-old Spaniard fell into the sea there while fishing. He was quickly rescued by helicopter, but the paramedics were only able to determine his death, reported the newspaper "El Día". The authorities here also assume that the man was the victim of a giant wave, even though there were no eyewitnesses in this case.
Meanwhile, six tourists from France, who were also washed into the sea by a giant wave in the village of Playa del Roque de Las Bodegas in the district of Anaga in the north-east of the island, escaped with only moderate injuries.
A man had already been rescued dead from the sea off the south coast of the island on El Médano beach on Saturday morning. Beachgoers and rescue workers tried to resuscitate him, but all measures were unsuccessful. The extent to which the strong swell was responsible for this accident remained unclear at first.
Warnings from the authorities were ignored
However, there is much to suggest that in all cases there was a considerable degree of carelessness on the part of those involved. The authorities stated that in Anaga, for example, the six tourists from France - three couples according to media reports - disregarded a safety barrier installed there.
The authorities had issued an early warning: "Exercise extreme caution on the coast: do not stand at the end of piers or breakwaters and do not take any risks taking photos or videos near breaking waves."
Giant waves caused by storms in the Atlantic
Tenerife is part of the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, which lie off the west coast of North Africa in the open Atlantic Ocean. Particularly in the fall and winter, the west and north coasts of the islands are often hit by very large waves caused by storms far out in the Atlantic.
These large and very energetic waves only break in the deep sea around the islands very close to the coast and hit land almost unchecked. The consequences can be devastating for people who are on the promenade or a harbor pier.
The national weather service Aemet regularly publishes warnings about such waves - oleaje in Spanish. However, they can also occur very suddenly as strong swells without warning.
