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THE INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WITH LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
EDITION 497
FRIDAY 28th MARCH TO THURSDAY 10th APRIL 2014 Chefs to fly the flag
PAGE 16
Photo contest Hard Rock Cafe is here
PAGE 15
PAGE 41
“PUERTO NEEDS YOU!”
Clator Orotava success PAGE 54
Drama as coach crashes near barranco
T
HERE were dramatic scenes on Gran Canaria when a bus nearly careered off a mountain road, killing one person and injuring ten oth-
ers.
There were 34 Italian and Austrian tourists on the vehicle, together with a driver and guide. Some of the injured were air-lifted to hospital and suffered serious, potentially life-threatening, injuries. Following the crash, the bus came to rest with its front wheels virtually perched over the drop of a ver y deep
barranco on a winding bend. Had it continued to travel over the edge, the consequences would have been monumental. The accident happened on the GC-603 between Tunte and Fataga and led to a full-scale rescue operation, including the police, Civil Guard, Civil Protection, Canary Emergency Service, helicopter and ambulances.
Canaries mourn after helicopter crash
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HE hearts of the people of the Canary Islands are with the family and friends of the four crew members of an Army helicopter which crashed into the ocean near Gran Canaria.
Photo by Plataforma Ciudadana Maresia
A
NGER in Puerto de la Cruz over the project to “transform” the historic area of San Telmo has erupted in sheer fury.
The citizen’s platform Maresia is calling on the High Court to put an immediate stop to the work which began last week and is alleging “dark hidden interests”, “scandal”, press censorship and “unspeakable hidden deals”. They say fencing went up without prior notice and “destruction” has begun to turn the plaza and walk into just another location rather than keeping it very special. The group has called what it describes as “a massive demonstration” on Saturday, April 5th. The protest will start at noon from the San Telmo
ermita and will then walk to the point of Santo Domingo and back to the plaza Europa, opposite the town hall. They are calling on any resident or visitor who shares their concerns to join them at around 11am to 11.30am and expect people to make their feelings known in a noisy manner, including shouts, whistles and drums whilst carr ying placards and banners. Maresia says its sole intention is to get the work paralysed and to reach agreements over modifications which properly
respect Puerto’s identity and heritage. The group claims previous appeals for amendments and an earlier march which turned the coastal path into a sea of protestors have failed to sway the authorities. They describe this attitude as “contempt” which is raising their indignation and therefore have to “sadly conclude the existence of dark and personal interests”. Two writs have been lodged with the Court of Adminstration in Santa Cruz, calling on immediate suspension before any more work is carried out and it becomes too difficult to put right. The campaigners are particularly furious about the
proposed loss of the San Telmo historic wall and the impact on work by the famous architect César Manrique. The 1.2 million project began last week on the promenade stage and though Maresia is in favour of a refurbishment and clean-up, it is against “this vandalism and destruction”.
Defence Minister, Pedro Morenés said it was an irony that those who died had dedicated their lives to saving others and had paid the ultimate price. The Super Puma helicopter was involved in a training exercise between Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura when for an unknown reason, communications were lost. One of the five crew members was rescued but the other four died; at the time of going to press, despite a very extensive search, their bodies were still missing. They included a woman, who would be the first
military woman to die while on duty in a plane crash in the history of the Spanish Army. The entire team was highly skilled with more than 1,000 flying miles between them. They have helped the rescue service to save thousands of lives in the Canary seas over the years. Officials have stated that the helicopter had been properly checked and was in perfect working condition. The reasons for the crash are being investigated, with some wreckage having already being recovered.