Video: Watson/Michael Shepherd
According to media reports, the death toll from high waves on the holiday island of Tenerife has increased to four.
December 8th, 2025, 11:09Dec 8, 2025, 11:59 am
A woman who was initially flown to a hospital died there, reported the Spanish state TV station RTVE.
On Sunday, rescue workers were only able to rescue three dead people who had been swept into the sea by huge waves. The search is continuing for a fifth person, who is a woman.
People were surprised by the high waves in a natural swimming pool in the west of the Spanish island. According to the information, the waves entered the swimming area, which was separated from the open sea by a stone wall, and crashed against the surrounding rocks. The suction of the water flowing back into the sea then carried people away.
Video: Watson/Michael Shepherd
According to authorities, the confirmed fatalities in the accident near Los Gigantes in the Santiago del Teide region are two men and a woman. One of the men was 35 years old and the woman was 55. The age of the third victim was not known even the day after the accident. They are said to have been tourists, but initially nothing was officially reported about their origin.
The woman who was initially rescued later died
The fourth death was a woman who was initially resuscitated after a cardiac arrest on Sunday and was flown to a hospital.
The authorities had warned of high waves on the coasts of several islands since Friday. However, the danger is easily underestimated because high waves can occur even in calm, windless weather. They can form from distant storms in the Atlantic and then crash into the Canary Islands, which rise steeply from the sea and are of volcanic origin.
It was only on November 8th that several giant waves washed numerous people into the sea on Tenerife – including many tourists, especially from France. Three people were killed in various incidents on the coast at the time. A total of 15 were injured. The coasts of the Canary Islands are considered dangerous. According to media reports, a total of around 60 drowned people have been counted on all Canary Islands since January. (sda/dpa)