VIDEO: Tourists swept to sea, three killed as freak waves hit Canary Islands
Tenerife was left in chaos as massive waves struck beaches and harbour fronts over the weekend
El incidente se registró en el municipio de San Miguel #Tenerife https://t.co/NgjgpKvsde
— 112 Canarias (@112canarias) November 8, 2025
Three people died and 15 others were injured on Saturday November 8 after powerful waves struck multiple locations across Tenerife, as the Canary Islands remained on alert for dangerous coastal conditions.
The day's first tragedy unfolded at Roque de Las Bodegas beach in Taganana, near Santa Cruz de Tenerife, when six French tourists were knocked into the water by a large wave. Emergency services dispatched a medical helicopter and two ambulances to the scene.
One woman suffered moderate injuries and was airlifted to Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria University Hospital, while four others required hospital treatment and a fifth was treated at the scene. Local police confirmed the tourists had ventured beyond a preventive buoy marking the danger zone.Shortly after 2pm, lifeguards at El Cabezo beach in Granadilla de Abona discovered a man floating in the sea. Despite immediate attempts at resuscitation by beach rescue staff and paramedics from the Canary Islands Emergency Service, the man could not be saved.
An hour later, disaster struck the harbour at Puerto de la Cruz in the island's north when another massive wave crashed over the dock, sweeping ten people into the water. Local police and bystanders pulled the victims from the sea, but found one woman in cardiac arrest.
Despite advanced resuscitation efforts by emergency medical teams who deployed five ambulances to the scene, she was pronounced dead. Three others sustained serious injuries, four suffered moderate injuries and two received minor injuries. All were taken to various hospitals across the island.The final incident occurred at 4.42pm at Charco del Viento in La Guancha, also on the northern coast, when a man fell into the sea. A government helicopter rescued him and flew him to the helipad at Santa Cruz de Tenerife dock, but medical staff confirmed he had died from his injuries.
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Images: @112canarias
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