Widow of British Pensioner Killed in La Gomera Bus Crash Among 27 Hospitalised
The widow of the British pensioner killed in yesterday’s horrific bus crash on the Canary Island of La Gomera was among the 27 passengers hospitalised, it has been confirmed. Regional health officials stated late yesterday that the unnamed woman remains at the state hospital, updating earlier information that indicated 21 casualties had been discharged. She is now the only patient still receiving treatment at the facility.
Psychological Support for Bereaved Widow
Expert psychologists are reportedly assisting the British holidaymaker, who is believed to have been sitting beside her partner when the packed bus veered off the road. The accident occurred around 1.15pm on Friday afternoon on a bend, causing the vehicle to plunge approximately 100ft down a ravine. The psychological care is aimed at helping her come to terms with the devastating loss.
Overnight, it emerged that two more victims with serious injuries had been airlifted to a hospital on the neighbouring island of Tenerife. This follows the earlier transfer of two other individuals, bringing the total number of critically injured patients moved off the island to four.
Details of the Crash and Investigation
The bus driver, who attempted to stop the vehicle by steering it onto a dirt track after a suspected brake failure, was among the four people seriously hurt. The tourist bus, operated by La Gomera Tours, is set to be removed today so police can conduct a full off-site inspection to determine the exact cause of the accident.
This incident marks the second fatal crash on the same GM-2 road, which connects the capital San Sebastian with the rest of the mountainous island, in less than a year. In May of the previous year, a 73-year-old Spanish woman died and 11 others were injured when a public transport bus overturned on a straight stretch of the road just over a mile away and tumbled down a hill.
British Tourists and Aftermath
The British tourists on board the crash vehicle, which included three minors, were beginning their journey back to the UK after finishing their holidays at a 102-apartment resort in Playa de Santiago on La Gomera’s southernmost tip, known as El Balcon de Santa Ana. The hotel manager spent most of yesterday at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Hospital, assisting the British consulate. The whereabouts of the tourists discharged from the island hospital were not immediately clear this morning.
In an update last night, a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre confirmed that the widow of the 77-year-old Brit killed was among those injured. The centre stated, “Four people have been transferred to hospitals in Tenerife including the bus driver. At the request of the British consulate, the hotel manager where the passengers were staying is at the hospital carrying out consular duties. The College of Psychology and the Red Cross have provided psychological care to those affected at the hospital. All have been discharged except the deceased’s wife. The bus is currently shored up in the area, pending removal tomorrow.”
Injuries and Driver’s Actions
Two of the British passengers airlifted to hospitals in Tenerife are a man aged 73 and another aged 42. Health officials have described their conditions as suffering from “severe multiple injuries.” The bus driver is a local man believed to be in his fifties, who his employers say travels the same route virtually every day.
Juan Luis Navarro, the central government's representative on the island, praised the driver’s efforts, noting that he tried to avoid the tragedy by “fighting it” from the moment he detected an apparent brake failure. It is understood that he veered onto a dirt track after swerving off the road on a sharp bend before bringing the vehicle to a halt at the last moment, although too late to prevent it from plunging down the ravine. Mr Navarro added, “Fortunately it stopped before the fall because otherwise this accident could have been much more serious.”
Company Response and Official Statements
La Gomera Tours, the bus owner and operator, insisted in the aftermath of the tragedy that all its vehicles were “up to date” with inspections and that it was not aware of any incidents or complaints from drivers regarding that stretch of road. A representative later told Spanish media that the local man at the wheel is an experienced driver who passes the crash site “virtually every day.”
Staff at the resort where the Brits had been staying said yesterday afternoon that they were on their way to the port in the island capital before taking a ferry to Tenerife. It later emerged that they were due to head to the airport upon reaching the neighbouring island for a flight home.
Tour operator The Holiday Property Bond issued a statement yesterday, saying, “The Holiday Property Bond is aware of a serious coach incident on the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands today involving some of our bondholders and guests. The coach was transferring holidaymakers to the airport, to return home. Our immediate focus is on the safety and wellbeing of everyone affected. We recognise this is an extremely distressing situation for those involved, as well as for their families and loved ones, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”
Ongoing Investigation and Condolences
A spokesman for the Civil Guard confirmed yesterday afternoon, “The man who died in the bus crash in La Gomera is a 77-year-old British national. The investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing.” A local court will coordinate the probe.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed her condolences in a post on X, stating, “My thoughts are with those affected by the tragic incident involving a bus carrying British holidaymakers in the Canary Islands.” Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo also offered support, saying, “Following the accident of a bus reported in La Gomera and the work of the emergency teams who are intervening at this moment. My support to the victims and their families.” Angel Victor Torres, Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, added, “Tragic news in La Gomera, with the confirmation of one person deceased. Very attentive to the actions in these first moments of the emergency services and the healthcare personnel. With a heavy heart. May there be no more victims.”
