El Tancón: Brit tourist seriously injured after jumping into dangerous Tenerife sea cave

A tourist in his 40s, reportedly from Britain, suffered severe injuries when he leapt into a popular dangerous sea cave in Tenerife, according to witnesses who captured the incident on video. The man was rushed to a hospital in Puerto Santiago, Tenerife, on Monday, April 15.

A fellow holidaymaker who witnessed the event from a nearby balcony said the injured man was among a larger group that had been jumping into the water. He said the group could be seen performing flips and dives from the cliffs into the ocean.

He said: "They looked like they were filming it. There was a drone and a tripod set up." The witness said they then moved over and began jumping into El Tancón, a notorious sea cave in the area. The cave, a popular beauty spot, has seen people pass away after falling or jumping in due to the strong current. One of the tourists became injured and the emergency services were called.

The witness said: "We started to hear lots of shouting, a few of the others jumped in as well, probably to help the injured one and keep him afloat until the emergency services arrived. There was a sign saying it's a dangerous area but young people think they're immortal. We saw what they were doing and thought it wouldn't end well." By the time emergency services arrived, the man's friends had already got him out of the water. Pictures and videos show the moment the man, who had injured his lower half, was stretchered to an ambulance. Emergency and Security Coordinating Center (CECOES) said: "At 2:10pm, a 40-year-old male who, at the initial moment of care, presented with various serious injuries to his lower extremities, was transferred in a sanitized ambulance from the SUC to the Hospiten Sur University Hospital.

"CECOES 112 of the Government of the Canary Islands received an alert in which they reported that a foreign bather required medical assistance after hitting the rocks after falling on his feet from the puddle into the sea. "112 immediately activated the necessary emergency resources. Upon the arrival of the first emergency resources, the victim's companions had already managed to get him out of the water and take him to the shore. "The Tenerife Firefighters team transported the injured man to the ambulance where the health team from the health center and the SUC provided him with assistance and, once immobilized and stabilized, they were in charge of transporting him to the hospital. Local Police collaborated with emergency services."