At least one dead after tourist bus plunges down a ravine in the Canary Islands
A bus carrying British tourists on the Spanish island of La Gomera crashed, leaving at least 14 injured - three of them in serious condition.
A tragic accident on the Spanish island of La Gomera has claimed the life of at least one person, a male adult and left 14 others injured — three of them reported to be in a critical condition — after a tourist bus careened off the road and fell into a ravine on Friday.
The crash occurred around 8:15 a.m. EDT (14.15 hours local time CEST) on the GM‑2 highway near the town of San Sebastián de La Gomera, according to the Canary Islands Emergency Coordination Center.
All victims are foreign tourists
Local authorities confirmed that all those affected were foreign tourists. The bus was carrying 24 adults, three minors, plus the driver. Officials have not yet released the identities of the injured passengers or the deceased victim. It is believed that the driver is among the injured but was able to leave the accident scene without aid.
The vehicle reportedly veered off the road near the El Revolcadero Environmental Center, overturning and sliding several meters down an embankment. A photo shared by emergency services shows the bus lying on its side after what appears to have been a sharp loss of control on a curve.
Early investigation points to brake failure
Traffic investigators from Spain’s Civil Guard are working to determine what caused the crash. Early reports, cited by the newspaper El Día, suggest the driver noticed the brakes were failing while descending the mountain road.
In an attempt to stop the bus, he steered toward a narrow dirt track at the curve near El Revolcadero — but the vehicle continued forward and plunged into the ravine.
British tourists were headed to catch a ferry
According to Canarias 7, the passengers — reportedly all British nationals — had departed from Playa de Santiago and were on their way to the San Sebastián de La Gomera port, where they planned to board a ferry to the neighboring island of Tenerife.
The Government of the Canary Islands has declared an emergency alert under the Territorial Emergency Plan for Civil Protection of the Canary Islands (PLATECA), due to the seriousness of the incident and the need for a coordinated regional response.
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