Horrifying moment British tourist’s hire car smashes into cafe terrace in Fuerteventura,
This is the horror moment a British tourist driving a hire car ploughs into a packed cafe terrace on the holiday island of Fuerteventura and injures eight people including a four-month-old baby.
Two Brits were among those injured when the vehicle careered off the road yesterday morning and into the crowded cafe in the tourist hotspot of Corralejo, police revealed.
Footage of the crash showed a man in a red T-shirt and blue jeans, who ended up on the vehicle’s bonnet, scramble to rescue the baby in its pram before the car drove into him.
Published by a local paper, CCTV footage of the dramatic incident showed that the other victims were caught completely unaware of the car.
Five of those hurt, including the baby and an 18-year-old woman, were seriously injured.
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One of the victims was a lady in a pink dress (right) who was smashed feet-first into a neighbouring building and hit her head on the ground
A man in a red T-shirt and blue jeans (centre) ended up on the vehicle’s bonnet as the car ploughed into the cafe terrace
One of the victims was a lady in a pink dress who was smashed feet-first into a neighbouring building and hit her head on the ground.
Bystanders could be seen going up to the driver’s door in the seconds after the accident before racing away to raise help.
The English driver, who has not been named, was also taken to hospital. His condition this morning was unclear.
This morning police confirmed all of the eight people taken to hospital following the drama in the tourist hotspot of Corralejo on the island of Fuerteventura, who included the hire car driver, remained alive.
The baby girl was airlifted to a hospital on the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria because of the nature of her injuries.
A police chief said: ‘Two of the seven people the car went into are from the UK.’
He said he was not in a position to confirm how seriously injured they had been, or give out their personal details including their ages, but did reveal the baby is Spanish.
Referring to the driver he added: ‘He is a 55-year-old British man who was driving a hire car and was on holiday on the island.
‘He is still under observation in hospital.
‘He was with his partner who is also British and we have spoken to her but I am not at liberty to reveal what she said.’
The crash occurred yesterday morning in the tourist hotspot of Corralejo at a cafe terrace
The man in the red T-shirt can be seen scrambling to try and get the pram out of the way before the car ploughs through
The car can be seen as it ploughs into a cafe terrace at the tourist hotspot of Corralejo
As well as the teenager and the baby, the other most seriously-injured casualties were a 49-year-old woman and two men aged 40 and 43
Five of those hurt, including the baby and an 18-year-old woman, were seriously injured in the incident
This is the horror moment a British tourist driving a hire car ploughs into a packed cafe terrace on the holiday island of Fuerteventura
Bystanders could be seen going up to the driver’s door in the seconds after the accident before racing away to raise help
A picture of the aftermath of the crash shows the car’s windscreen smashed and its bonnet dented
The police chief continued: ‘The investigation into the incident is ongoing but there is nothing at this stage pointing to any intention of the part of the driver to hurt anyone and therefore nothing at this stage pointing to any criminal responsibility on his part for what happened. He has not been arrested.’
Local reports said the holidaymaker tested negative for alcohol and drugs and investigators are understood to be focusing on the theory he suffered a health problem at the wheel of his vehicle.
Isai Blanco, mayor of the municipality of La Oliva which Corralejo is part of, added: ‘Our thoughts are with the people affected by this tragic incident.
‘We are working closely with the relevant authorities to try to clarify what happened and offering our support to the victims and their families at this difficult time.’
As well as the teenager and the baby, the other most seriously-injured casualties were a 49-year-old woman and two men aged 40 and 43.
A five-year-old girl and two men aged 44 and 50 were also hurt.
An 18-year-old woman was also flown to another hospital in Gran Canaria after initial treatment at Virgin de la Pena General Hospital in Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary Islands and the nearest to Africa.
The horror smash unfolded when a rental car careened off the road in the tourist hotspot of Corralejo, ploughed through the terrace filled with bargoers and slammed into a shop front
Tourists and locals gathered at the scene where the car had smashed into the bar terrace
More pictures from the scene show the damage done to a canopy and objects strewn across the floor
All the other casualties, who included a girl aged five, were taken to the Fuerteventura hospital.
After the incident yesterday, police suspected the driver may have suffered a heart attack or another medical emergency behind the wheel, Canarian Weekly reported.
Pictures show the rental car, which appears to be a white Dacia Duster, was heavily damaged in the crash, with its windscreen smashed and bonnet dented.
Sources told local media the vehicle was travelling between 50-60mph when it left Avenida Nuestra Señora del Carmen and barrelled towards the packed terrace.
The Mayor of the La Oliva municipality where the accident occurred said in a statement yesterday evening: ‘Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event.
‘We are working closely with the relevant authorities to clarify what happened and provide support to the victims and their families at this difficult time.’
The City Council said: ‘We are working tirelessly to obtain more information about what happened and take the necessary measures to prevent similar situations in the future’.
Fuerteventura is the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands and the closest to the African mainland.