Three killed after tourists in natural pool swept out to sea by huge Tenerife waves

TENERIFE, CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN, 2023 April: Rescue helicopter flies over a stormy ocean near rocky coastline. Charco de Isla Cangrejo. Los Gigantes cliffs. High quality 4k footage. Puerto Santiago town.
Rescue helicopter flies over a stormy ocean near rocky coastline in the Los Gigantes cliffs. (Picture: Getty Images)

One person is still missing after huge waves dragged tourists bathing in a natural pool out to sea in Tenerife.

A 55-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man, and another man were declared dead at the natural pool of Crab Island in the shadow of the dramatic volcanic cliffs of Los Gigantes.

A large wave swell crashed into the group of ‘middle-aged’ bathers, some foreign tourists, sweeping them away into the Atlantic Ocean at 4pm on Sunday.

Air ambulances were seen plucking people out of the water and whisking them to safety.

One woman was revived from cardiac arrest by paramedics and was airlifted to the Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria Hospital by helicopter.

Los Gigantes, Tenerife, Canary islands, Spain, december 18, 2021: Natural rock swimming pool Charco de Isla Cangrejo in the Atlantic Ocean in Los Gigantes with group of tourist people.
The natural pool is a favourite of tourists (Picture: Getty)

Another 39-year-old woman suffered ‘moderate trauma’ and was taken to hospital where she remains.

Emergency services remain in the area in case there are more victims at sea, although no further disappearances have been reported so far.

The Canary Islands archipelago has been under a weather warning since Friday, with forecasts of waves that could reach between two and five meters in height in the northern areas.

The free-to-enter natural rock pool was formed along the volcanic coast, but had a concrete wall built to shelter it from open-sea waves.

View of natural rock swimming pool Charco de Isla Cangrejo in the Atlantic Ocean in Los Gigantes, Tenerife, Canary islands, Spain. Sunny winter day
Three people were swept from the natural rock swimming pool Charco de Isla Cangrejo (Crab Island) in the Atlantic Ocean(Picture: Getty Images)

Last month, three people died after powerful waves slammed into the port of Tenerife during a tidal surge, injuring 15 cruise passengers.

A 79-year-old Dutch woman was one of 10 people dragged into the sea near Puerto de la Cruz after a wave strike.

The remaining nine survived, but two were left with serious trauma and the others minor injuries.

In August, a 44-year-old woman was rescued by helicopter from Crab Isand Pools after displaying symptoms of near drowning.

What is a tidal surge?

Tidal surges (or storm surges) happen when strong winds and low atmospheric pressure push seawater towards the coast.

They can cause sea levels to rise several metres above the normal high tide, leading to flooding in coastal and low-lying areas.

Storms and cyclones over the sea are the main cause — the more powerful the wind, the greater the surge.

A tidal surge can combine with a high tide, creating an even more dangerous event known as a storm tide.

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