Lanzarote tourist tragedy as Irish mother is killed and her daughter seriously injured when off-road buggy plunges off rocks
- The pair fell around 65ft after losing control of their vehicle during excursion
An Irish holidaymaker has been killed and her daughter seriously injured after they lost control of an off-road buggy and plunged into a pile of rocks.
The pair fell around 65 feet while driving the vehicle during a tourist excursion in Lanzarote.
The older woman, aged 61, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other victim, who was travelling on a South African passport, was rushed to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital in the Spanish island’s capital Arrecife with injuries including head wounds.
She was believed to be in intensive care today although the hospital has not yet made any official comment.
An Irish holidaymaker has died and her daughter has been seriously injured after plunging off rocks in Lanzarote in their hired off-road buggy
The scene of the accident where the pair were injured
Firefighters, police, Civil Protection workers and paramedics were among the emergency responders who raced to the area on Monday afternoon.
A helicopter was also sent to the scene although fire crews were finally able to stretcher the survivor, who is understood to be aged in her mid-forties, to a waiting ambulance on foot.
The area where the tragedy occurred is between the town of Teseguite and the village of Guatiza, and boasts unique volcanic rock formations which attract visitors from all over the world.
The island’s Civil Guard police force has been placed in charge of an ongoing investigation into the incident.
One report said police were probing the possibility the buggy driver, thought to be the older of the two women, may have plunged into the abyss after losing control of her vehicle on a bend because she was going too fast.
But a spokesman for the Civil Guard in Lanzarote insisted: ‘It is too early at this stage to speculate on what could have caused the tragedy.
‘The investigation is still at a very early stage.’
A Civil Guard source added: ‘A 61-year-old Irish woman died in the tragedy and her daughter, who was travelling on a South African passport, was seriously injured and was taken to hospital.
‘They were travelling on the buggy as part of an organised excursion.’
