Irish holidaymaker in Lanzarote killed after plunging 20 metres in off-road calamity

A terrible accident occurred yesterday when a mother and daughter lost control of their buggy on an off-road trip.

On Monday, May 15, an unnamed 61-year-old Irish woman on holiday in Lanzarote was killed when she and her daughter fell over a precipice while riding in a hired buggy, according to The Irish Examiner.

The two accident victims were part of an organised trip, the incident resulted in the mother losing her life and her daughter, believed to be in her 40s, being taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The couple fell about 20 metres (65ft) when it is believed they somehow lost control of the vehicle. Spanish police confirmed the older woman was of Irish nationality and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The younger woman, travelling with a South African passport, sustained serious injuries to her head and was immediately taken to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital in Arrecife.

The scene of the accident was attended by firefighters, police and paramedics who quickly responded to the alarm around 3.30 pm on Monday.

Despite a helicopter being summoned to the scene to the scene, because of the difficult terrain, fire crews managed to stretcher the survivor to safety who then made it to an ambulance on foot.

The accident happened between Teseguite and the village of Guatiza, which is popular with tourists owing to the area’s unique volcanic rock formations.

The Lanzarote Police Force is currently leading an investigation into the incident. A spokesperson said: ‘It is too early at this stage to speculate on what could have caused the tragedy. The investigation is still at a very early stage.’

The Guardia Civil also confirmed: ‘A 61-year-old Irish woman died in the tragedy and her daughter, who was travelling on a South African passport, was seriously injured and was taken to hospital. They were travelling on the buggy as part of an organised excursion.’

The emergency coordination centre for the Canary Islands added: ‘We received the first call at two minutes before 3.30 pm local time on Monday.

‘Fire crews reached the spot where the vehicle had ended up and managed to rescue one of the occupants alive. She was stabilised at the scene and taken to hospital after medical staff who evaluated her confirmed she had serious head injuries.’

A local report alleged that both women were thrown out of the buggy and came to land about nine metres from the vehicle crashed.

Forensic investigators are currently inspecting the damaged buggy, although there has been no suggestion at this stage that mechanical fault was to blame.