Three die as heavy seas batter Spanish island of Tenerife

Three people died and 15 were injured on Saturday as rough seas battered the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife, emergency services said. A rescue helicopter airlifted a man who had fallen into the water at La Guancha, a beach in the north of the island, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, emergency services said.

In a separate incident, a man was found floating on the beach at El Cabezo in the south of the island. Lifeguards and medical staff were unable to resuscitate him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman suffered a heart attack and died when a wave swept 10 people into the sea at Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife. Three others from the group were seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment. The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the west coast of Africa that includes Tenerife, are on alert for coastal hazards, the islands' emergency service said on Sunday.