British woman dies after being trapped in famous sea caves in Canary Islands

June 28, 2024, 9:19 p.m. | Updated: June 28, 2024, 9:22 p.m.

A British woman has died when she was caught in the current of famous sea caves on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura.

Three people sitting next to the 32-year-old also ended up in the sea after being hit by the same wave near the Ajuy caves at around 8.30 p.m. yesterday.

The Ajuy Caves are famous on the island and were declared a natural monument in 1987.

As part of the Betancuria Landscape Park, they are under comprehensive protection and are said to be centuries old.

Emergency measures were initiated immediately following the incident.

Three of the people affected were told they could get out of the water and the fourth, a woman, was rescued by officials from the Fuerteventura Municipal Emergency Services and a private boat.

“Rescue personnel confirmed her death when she reached dry land and assisted the other three people, aged between 18 and 26.”

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They were able to swim to safety and reach the shore again.

Two local fishermen and an off-duty firefighter tried to rescue the 32-year-old, who lost her life in the process.

Another witness ran to a nearby village to get lifebuoys and other floating equipment.

The three other people who were swept away managed to swim to the shore.

The woman was rescued from the water by a small private boat and rescue workers, but unfortunately she was pronounced dead when she reached the shore.

The three survivors, aged between 18 and 26, received medical treatment, but it is not confirmed whether they were hospitalised.

The sea caves in the small fishing village of Ajuy are located on the west coast of Fuerteventura and are one of the island’s visitor attractions.

The four people involved in the horrific incident were staying at the same hotel in Corralego on the northeast coast of Fuerteventura.

The caves are visited by thousands of tourists every year and were almost the scene of a tragedy on March 30, when a 23-year-old tourist was rescued by helicopter.

The holidaymaker was found alive, but suffered from hypothermia after an hour in the sea.

The vacationer reportedly ignored signs indicating that the area was closed due to a storm.

She and a man who was with her were probably taking selfies when the six-meter-high waves crashed against the shore and were knocked off their feet.

The 25-year-old man was able to save himself from the water, but the woman was close to death when she was rescued.

Locals tried to keep them afloat with lifebuoys, and then professional help arrived.

Villager Lucas Quesada was involved in this rescue and also in the rescue attempt of the last victim.

He said: “The wave came and swept away all four tourists who were sitting in an area we call El Muellito.”

Another person who helped her out of the water said: “There was nothing we could do to save her. When we reached her, she was lying face down in the water.”

A spokesman for a regional emergency coordination center confirmed: “A 32-year-old woman has died in Ajuy, in the municipality of Pajara.

“The alarm came in yesterday at 8:26 p.m. and said that several people had fallen into the sea.

“The emergency call was initiated immediately.

“Three of those affected were able to get out of the water and the fourth, a woman, was rescued by officers from the Fuerteventura Municipal Emergency Services and a private boat.”

Rescue personnel said she died when she reached dry land and helped the other three people, aged between 18 and 26.

The police could not be reached for comment.