One dead and dozens injured after bus carrying British tourists crashes in Canary Islands

One person has died and 27 are in hospital after a bus full of British tourists on their way to a boat tour crashed in the Canary Islands.

The crash happened at 1.15pm local time today when the bus plunged into a ravine on the GM-2 highway in La Gomera.

All of the passengers, 24 adults and three children, were British.

The person killed in the bus crash was a British man, the Foreign Office has said. He was aged 77, it is understood.

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Four people are seriously injured, emergency services in the Canary Islands said in an update.

"Emergency health services attended to the 28 occupants of the bus, 27 tourists of British nationality and the driver," local officials said.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said in a post on X: "My thoughts are with those affected by the tragic incident involving a bus carrying British holidaymakers in the Canary Islands."

She said the government was in touch with the local authorities and ready to support the Britons and their families.

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Two of the most seriously injured, a 73-year-old man and a 42-year-old man, were airlifted to hospitals on the larger neighbouring Canary Island of Tenerife.

Two people with serious injuries were being treated at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Hospital in San Sebastian de La Gomera on the island where the crash took place. Another 23 with minor injuries were also taken there.

Images shared by the Canary Islands government on social media appear to show the bus had come off the road at a hairpin bend.

The GM-2 road where the incident took place is high up, with spectacular views out to sea. La Gomera, the second smallest of the eight Canary Islands, is marked by the steep terrain of volcanic mountains, dense forest and cliffside villages.

A statement from the British embassy in the Spanish capital, Madrid said: "Our thoughts go out to those affected by this tragic incident.

"We are aware of the situation, and we stand ready to support British nationals.

"We are also in touch with local authorities on the ground."

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."

(c) Sky News 2026: One dead and dozens injured after bus carrying British tourists crashes in Canary Islands