A 77-year-old British pensioner has died after a tourist bus plunged into a ravine in the Canary Islands.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was one of 27 British passengers on board the bus, which crashed at around 1:15pm on Friday on the GM-2 highway near San Sebastian de La Gomera.
The group are reported to have been travelling to the San Sebastián de La Gomera dock where they were due to travel by ferry to Tenerife.
All 27 passengers were initially rushed to hospital, but authorities said 21 have now been discharged. A 73 and 42 year old man, and one other passenger, suffered severe injuries and were transferred to hospital in Tenerife.
Local officials said: “Emergency health services attended to the 28 occupants of the bus, 27 tourists of British nationality and the driver. One male deceased is confirmed and 27 injured of varying degrees of severity.”
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said she is “ready to support Brits and their families”.
La Gomera has a resident population of around 23,000 and is not a mainstream destination for British travellers. It has no international airport and any of the people who spend time there are hikers – especially British and German.
In pictures: Bus landed on its side after falling into ravine
Nicole Wootton-Cane11 April 2026 09:30
How did the accident unfold?
Just after 1pm on Friday, emergency services received reports a bus had come off the road and slid down a slope.
Pictures show the bus on its side after falling down a ravine off a winding mountainous road in La Gomera.
Firefighters, police, the Spanish Red Cross and several ambulances, including an air ambulance, were among the emergency responders who attended to the British tourists and driver.
At 2pm, a state of alert issued by the Canary Islands government in response to the incident came into force.
Shortly after, president of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo posted on X to express support for the victims and their families.
All 27 passengers and the driver were initially taken to hospital, with two helicoptered to aid in Tenerife with severe injuries.
Later, the British government confirmed it is supporting the family of a British man who died.
Nicole Wootton-Cane11 April 2026 09:00
Where is La Gomera?
Nicole Wootton-Cane11 April 2026 08:30
Recap: British man dead and dozens injured after bus crashes in Canary Islands
A British man died after a bus carrying UK tourists crashed down a ravine in La Gomera yesterday.
The 77-year-old, who has not yet been identified, is one of 27 British passengers understood to be travelling to to the San Sebastián de La Gomera dock where they were due to travel by ferry to Tenerife.
A 73 and 42 year old man, who suffered severe injuries, were helicoptered to a hospital in Tenerife, while another person on the bus is also in critical condition.
The other 23 passengers, all believed to be British, were taken to the hospital on the island. Of these, 21 have now been discharged, authorities said.
Police have said they are investigating whether a brake failure caused the bus to come off the road, after the driver noticed an issue with braking and “tried to fight”.
The British government said it was supporting the family of the man who died.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper wrote on X: “My thoughts are with those affected by the tragic incident involving a bus carrying British holidaymakers in the Canary Islands.
“We are in touch with the local authorities & ready to support Brits & their families.”
Harriette Boucher11 April 2026 08:00
British man, 77, killed in crash
A 77-year-old British man has died after a tourist bus crashed into a ravine in the Canary Islands on Friday.
The man has not yet been identified.
A foreign office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in the bus accident in the Canary Islands and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane11 April 2026 07:41
What to know about La Gomera – The small isle in the Canary Islands
The Independent’s travel correspondent, Simon Calder, has provided background on La Gomera:
This was a horrific accident on a beautiful island. La Gomera is not a mainstream destination for British travellers. It’s a small and mountainous isle to the west of the biggest Canary Island, Tenerife. The resident population of around 23,000 compares with almost a million on Tenerife.
Unlike most of the Canary Islands, La Gomera has no international airport. Many of the people who spend time there are hikers – especially British and German.
But there are also day trips run from the big resorts at the south western end of Tenerife including Costa Adeje, Las Americas and Los Cristianos – which is the departure point from the ferry.
The voyage takes about an hour, and is followed by a coach tour of the scenic locations as well as a stop for lunch.
These trips have been operating for many years without incident. But inevitably in a location with narrow mountain roads, the risks are higher than in flat terrain.
Harriette Boucher11 April 2026 06:00
How emergency services responded to the bus crash in La Gomera
After a bus full of British tourists veered off the road on Friday, the Canary Islands emergency and security coordination centre received an alert informing them of the crash.
The emergency service said it activated the necessary emergency resources and deployed two medical helicopters, one medical ambulance, two basic life support ambulances, and two non-urgent health transport units.
Health services assessed those injured at the scene and transferred several of them to the hospital.
Red Cross and civil protection units were also in attendance and took those with less severe injuries to the hospital.
A 73 and 42 year old man were among those seriously injured in the deadly bus crash in La Gomera on Friday and were transferred to the island’s Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Hospital before being flown to the hospitals in Tenerife.
Harriette Boucher11 April 2026 04:00
In pictures: Emergency service workers respond to deadly bus crash in La Gomera
Harriette Boucher11 April 2026 02:00
Watch: Canary Islands Tourist Bus Crash
Harriette Boucher11 April 2026 00:00
Police investigating whether brake failure is responsible for bus crash
Police investigating the bus crash in La Gomera suspect that a brake failure could have caused the coach to come off the road.
Juan Luis Navarro, the island director of the general state administration, told journalists that the driver detected a problem with braking and “tried to fight” it, local media reported.
The bus then came off the road and rolled down the slope, he said.
“Fortunately, it stopped before being thrown off the road. Otherwise it could have been much more serious.”
Harriette Boucher10 April 2026 22:10NewerOlder