28 June 2024 , 19:53
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The surviving trio managed to reach safety by swimming back to shore , while two fishermen and an off-duty firefighter tried to save the 32-year-old British woman who tragically drowned off the coast of the Canary Island of Fuerteventura
A British woman holidaymaker has died after being swept into the water by a wave at famous sea caves on the Canary island of Fuerteventura.
Three people with the tourist also described locally as British ended up in the sea as well after being hit by the same wave as they sat beside her.
They managed to reach safety by swimming back to the coast. Two local fishermen and an off-duty firefighter tried to save the 32-year-old who lost her life while another witness went running to the nearby village to fetch lifebuoys and other floating equipment.
She ended up being brought out of the water by a small private boat and emergency responders but was confirmed dead once they reached the shore.
The other tourists, aged between 18 and 26, received medical attention although it was not immediately clear last night if they had needed to be taken to hospital.
The tragedy occurred yesterday evening around 8.30pm at the Caves of Ajuy. 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 caught up in the drama had been staying in the same hotel in Corralejo on Fuerteventura’s north-east coast. 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 (THURS) 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 confirmed she had died when she reached dry land and assisted the other three people, aged between 18 and 26.”
The caves, visited by thousands of foreigners every year, were the scene of a near-tragedy on March 30 when a 23-year-old tourist was rescued alive but with hypothermia by helicopter after nearly an hour in the sea.
Reports at the time said the holidaymaker had ignored signs warning the area was out of bounds because of a storm. She and a man with her who are thought to have been taking selfies at the time of 20ft waves pounding the coast ended up being swept off their feet.
The 25-year-old man managed to make it out of the water himself but the woman came close to losing her life before being rescued.
Locals threw lifebuoys to her to help her stay afloat before professional help arrived. Villager Lucas Quesada, who took part in that rescue and also the rescue attempt on the latest victim, said: “The wave came in and swept away all four tourists who were sat in an area we call El Muellito.”
Another who helped bring 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.”
Police could not be reached for comment this evening. The Ajuy Caves are the most famous caves in Fuerteventura.
Declared a Natural Monument in 1987, they are part of Betancuria Rural Park and therefore fully protected.
They are said to be centuries old and the oldest formations in the Canary Islands. The caves are among the 150 sites of primary geological interest in the world. Many tourists are drawn by their size and the way the ocean crashes against the rocks at the cave’s entrance.