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THE INDEPENDENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WITH LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
FRIDAY 7th APRIL TO THURSDAY 20th APRIL 2017 TV GUIDE
PAGES 25 -32
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EDITION 573 FORTNIGHTLY SUPPLEMENT F
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PAGES 49 -56
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DROWNING FIGURES AND NEAR-MISSES
DOUBLE TRAGEDY PROMPTS “DON’T UNDER-ESTIMATE THE SEA” WARNINGS A double tragedy, shocking figures on drownings and several very near misses have all served to hit home an important safety message in the Canaries. Keep safe when near water!
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HE urgent advice is being relayed by the emergency services, including Maritime Rescue which says no-one should under-estimate the power of the sea, even if you think you are a good swimmer or in a safe place. Shocking images of the moment a massive wave hit rocks at Puerto Santiago, sweeping one man into the ocean in a matter of seconds very sadly proved the point last week. It is believed he managed to scramble back to safety but a 60-year-old Spanish woman on holiday in Tenerife was not so lucky. She died when she was swept into the water and hurled against rocks. One very brave Spanish man jumped into the turbulent water to try and save her but he too lost his life because of the atrocious conditions. The victims were later named as David Patiño Vila, who was 35 and lived in Adeje, and Isabel Garrido from Palencia. David has been hailed as a hero. The Canary Islands have always been considered a safe place to swim but warnings have to be heeded and even if no restrictions are in place, anyone visiting the coast is
advised to take very special care. In windy and rough conditions, huge waves and strong currents can strike at any time. In the same week as the Puerto Santiago tragedy, official figures showed 21 people drowned in the Canary Islands during the first quarter of the year. In Spain as a whole, 80 people have drowned during the first three months of 2017, most of them in the Canary Islands (21) and Andalusia (18) which account for almost half of the deaths due to this cause, according to the National Drowning Report prepared by the Royal Spanish Federation of Rescue and Lifesaving. In most cases (65 per cent) of the drownings are caused by “occasional falls,” according to the report. In other cases, the tragedies happen during professional activities (18 per cent), leisure (11 per cent), diving (four per cent) or
other water sports (three per cent). The most frequent profile of drowning, according to the data of the first quarter of this year, are men (85 per cent) between 35 and 64 years (47.5 per cent) and of Spanish nationality (69 per cent). In Tenerife, a group of kayakers felt the full force of the waves when they couldn’t get back to land during an excursion off the coast of Abades in Arico. One of the boats was smashed against the rocks and its two occupants had to be rescued. All four kayakers needed hospital treatment after their ordeal. Medics also had to help an 86-year-old woman who nearly drowned in the natural pools of Punta del Hidalgo in La Laguna. She also had to be taken to hospital. Emergency services say never venture too far on the rocks, even if to take photographs or get a better view, as strong waves can hit at any time. And even if the sea looks calm, it can be deceiving with currents underneath. Photo by Gerard Zenou