What happened on the GM-2 road
A British tourist has died and 27 other people have been injured after the coach they were travelling on came off a mountain road in La Gomera and tumbled into a ravine, emergency services in the Canary Islands have confirmed.
The vehicle was carrying 27 British holidaymakers and its driver, according to 112 Canarias, the regional emergency service, which posted details of the incident on X. The group had been en route to the dock at San Sebastián de La Gomera, where they were due to board a ferry to neighbouring Tenerife, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported.
The coach was travelling along the GM-2 when it left the road and dropped roughly ten metres into the ravine below, according to El Mundo. The road is a twisting mountainous route dotted with sharp bends, and an image released by the emergency services appeared to show the vehicle having come to rest close to a hairpin turn.
Why the rescue operation stretched across two islands
The response involved a medical helicopter and five ambulances, with the most severely hurt airlifted off La Gomera altogether. Of the 27 people taken to hospital, three were described as being in a serious condition. The majority were transported to Hospital Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe on the eastern side of the island, while two of the most seriously injured were flown by helicopter to hospitals on Tenerife.
Héctor Cabrera, the head of emergency operations on La Gomera, told Spanish public broadcaster TVE that the passengers “were staying at a resort” on the island. Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, offered his “support to the victims and their families”.
A small island with a large British visitor base
La Gomera is the second smallest of the Canary Islands and sits around 50 minutes by ferry from Tenerife, the archipelago’s largest island. Its volcanic landscape and network of trails have made it a well-known draw for hikers, although it attracts a far smaller share of visitors than its better-known neighbours.
The Canaries as a whole remain one of the most popular destinations for British holidaymakers. Figures from the Canary Islands Tourism Observatory show that around 3.83 million Britons travelled to the islands in 2025, of whom roughly 70,000 made their way to La Gomera.
