British woman dies after being caught in the sea at famous Canary Island caves
28 June 2024, 21:19 | Updated: 28 June 2024, 21:22
A British woman has died after she was caught in the current at famous sea caves on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura.
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Three people seated beside the 32-year-old also found themselves in the sea, having been hit by the same wave at the Caves of Ajuy yesterday at approximately 8.30pm.
The Ajuy caves are famous on the island and were declared a natural monument in 1987.
As part of the Betancuria Rural Park, they are fully protected and said to be centuries old.
Following the incident, an emergency response was put in place straight away.
Three of the people impacted were told they could get out of the water, and the fourth, a woman, was rescued by officials from the Fuerteventura Council's Emergency Service and a private boat.
"Ambulance staff confirmed she had died when she reached dry land and assisted the other three people, aged between 18 and 26."
They were able to reach safety having swum back to the shore.
Two local fishermen and an off-duty firefighter attempted to save the 32-year-old who lost her life.
Another witness ran to a village nearby to fetch lifebuoys and additional floating equipment.
The three others who had been swept away were able to reach safety by swimming back to the coast.
The woman was taken out of the water by a small private boat and emergency responders, but was sadly confirmed dead having reached the shore.
The three who survived, aged between 18 and 26, were given medical attention but it has not been confirmed if they had been taken to hospital.
The sea caves in the small fishing village of Ajuy are on the west coast of Fuerteventura and one of the island's visitor attractions.
The four people who found themselves caught in the horrendous incident had been staying in the same hotel in Corralego on Fuerteventura's north-east coast.
The caves are visited by thousands of tourists every year and were the destination of an almost-tragedy on March 30, when a 23-year-old tourist was rescued by helicopter.
The holidaymaker was discovered alive but they were experiencing hypothermia after being in the sea for an hour.
Reports said the holidaymaker had ignored signs warning the area was out of bounds due to a storm.
She and a man with her, believed to have been taking selfies at the time of the 20ft waves crashing the coast were swept off their feet.
The 25-year-old man was able to escape the water himself, however the woman was close to losing her life before being rescued.
Locals gave lifebuoys to her in an attempt to stay afloat and then professional help came.
Villager Lucas Quesada participated in that rescue, and in addition the rescue attempt on the latest victim.
He said: "The wave came in and swept away all four tourists who were sat in an area we call El Muellito."
Another who helped her out of the water said: "There was nothing we could do to save her. When we reached her she was face-down in the water."
A spokesman for a regional emergency response coordination centre confirmed: "A 32-year-old woman has died at Ajuy in the municipality of Pajara.
"The alarm was received yesterday at 8.26pm, with the alert saying various people had fallen into the sea.
"An emergency response was activated immediately.
"Three of those affected were able to get out of the water and the fourth, a woman, was rescued by officials from the Fuerteventura Council's Emergency Service and a private boat."
Ambulance staff said she had died when she reached dry land and helped the other three people, aged between 18 and 26.
Police were not able to be reached for comment.
