Bus crash in La Gomera

A tourist bus carrying British passengers went off the GM-2 road on La Gomera on Friday, killing one man and injuring 27 others. (reuters.com) Canary Islands emergency services said the crash happened at 1:16 p.m. near kilometer 2 of the GM-2 in San Sebastián de La Gomera, where the vehicle fell down an embankment. The official toll was one dead, four seriously injured and 23 lightly injured. (gobiernodecanarias.org) Reuters reported the bus was carrying 27 British nationals and the driver. Several injured passengers were airlifted to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Hospital, and some of the most serious cases were later transferred to hospitals in Tenerife. (reuters.com, canarias7.es) The dead passenger was identified in British media as a 77-year-old British man. Spanish officials had initially released only that the victim was male. (independent.co.uk, gobiernodecanarias.org) La Gomera is one of the smaller Canary Islands and the GM-2 is a mountain road that links the capital, San Sebastián, with the island interior. Local reports said the crash site was near the island’s environmental complex and on the route used by excursion coaches heading toward Garajonay National Park. (canarias7.es, canarianweekly.com) The scale of the response reflected both the number of foreign tourists on board and the island’s terrain. Emergency crews sent ambulances, a medical helicopter, a rescue helicopter and police units to the scene on a steep roadside above a ravine. (gobiernodecanarias.org) The Guardia Civil is investigating what caused the bus to leave the road. Spanish and local reports said the cause had not been established as of Saturday, April 11. (yahoo.com, guidetocanaryislands.com) Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo said Friday that his support was with the victims and their families. By the weekend, the crash had become a major test of emergency access on an island where serious injuries often require transfer off-island for specialist care. (canarias7.es, canarias7.es) The immediate questions now are the condition of the hospitalized passengers and the finding on how the coach left the GM-2. For families in Britain and the Canary Islands, the story has narrowed to that investigation and the recovery of the survivors. (reuters.com, guidetocanaryislands.com)