A devastating road accident on the Spanish island of La Gomera, part of the Canary Islands archipelago, has left one British tourist dead and 27 other passengers injured after their charter bus plummeted into a 10-meter ravine, local emergency response authorities confirmed Tuesday.
All 28 people on board the vehicle were affected by the crash: 27 of the occupants were British tourists visiting the island, with the 28th being the local Spanish driver. According to official statements posted to the social platform X by Canary Islands emergency coordination service 112 Canarias, the fatal victim was one of the traveling British passengers.
The crash unfolded on the GM-2, a winding mountain road cutting through La Gomera’s rugged terrain, close to the island’s capital city of San Sebastián de La Gomera. Images released by emergency responders show the wrecked bus resting at the bottom of the ravine near a sharp hairpin turn, a common hazard on the island’s narrow mountain routes. Spanish national outlet El Mundo confirmed the bus fell approximately 10 meters from the road surface after losing control at the bend.
Héctor Cabrera, head of emergency operations for La Gomera, told Spain’s public broadcaster TVE that all the tourists on the bus were staying at a local island resort as part of their visit. Emergency crews were dispatched to the crash site within minutes of the first 911 call, coordinating multi-agency response efforts to extract passengers and transport them to care.
Of the 27 injured people, three are currently listed in critical condition. Most injured passengers were transported to the island’s main medical facility, Hospital Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe located on eastern La Gomera. However, the two most severely injured patients were airlifted via emergency helicopter to larger, more advanced medical centers on the neighboring island of Tenerife for specialized treatment, 112 Canarias confirmed in their update.
Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands regional government, issued an official statement shortly after the crash extending his deepest condolences and full support to the victims of the accident, their families, and the emergency teams that responded to the scene. Investigations into the exact cause of the crash are ongoing, with authorities yet to release details on whether speed, mechanical failure, or weather conditions were contributing factors.