British tourist dies in Benidorm parasailing crash as tow rope snapped and left couple heading for rocks

 The yellow flag was still flying when the boat left Levante beach on Monday evening, which meant the trip could go ahead, but under caution. Minutes later the line holding the parachute to the boat had given way, and people on the sand could see exactly where the couple were going to come down.

The line gave way and the parachute drifted towards the headland

A British woman of 66 died after the parasail she was strapped into came away from its towing boat off Benidorm on Monday August 10 and struck the water’s surface in the Rincón de Loix area. For the moment, no confirmation has been given as to whether the impact was produced solely over the water, rocks, or both. 

The Guardia Civil was alerted at 6:50pm and called to the stretch of coast near Cala del Tío Ximo and the Cola de Caballo headland, at the eastern end of Levante beach. 

A second British participant, a 47-year-old man reported to be her husband, was also seriously injured. The relationship between the two has not been officially confirmed. 

Paramedics restarted her heart before she reached hospital 

The woman was in cardiorespiratory arrest with multiple traumatic injuries when emergency teams reached her. Paramedics worked on her for several minutes and managed to restore a pulse. She was then taken in a critical condition to Hospital Marina Baixa in Villajoyosa, where she later died.

The man stayed conscious and was able to walk. His injuries were reported as consistent with broken ribs, which has not been officially confirmed either.

Beachgoers could see where the parachute was going 

Witnesses quoted by the Alicante newspaper Información described the canopy losing control after the guide rope snapped, then travelling towards the rocks. They said the direction it was taking made the outcome obvious well before the impact, and that there was nothing anyone watching from the sand could do. 

Parasailing is one of Benidorm’s busiest summer activities. Participants are strapped beneath a purpose-built canopy and towed by a speedboat, usually at heights of between 50 and 150 metres.

Why the yellow flag didn’t stop the boat going out 

A yellow warning for coastal phenomena was in force when the boat set out. A yellow alert asks for caution over wind gusts and sea state, it doesn’t prohibit an operator from sailing. With this in mind, the presence of the warning doesn’t by itself mean the trip shouldn’t have gone ahead.

However, conditions then changed sharply, with rain and strong gusts arriving suddenly. A red flag, which stops bathing and all water activities, was raised on Levante beach afterwards. Investigators will need to establish when exactly the weather turned, whether the stronger winds could reasonably have been anticipated, and what the operator did about them.

The rope itself is now central to the investigation

The Guardia Civil investigation remains open. Officers are expected to examine the tow line, described in one account as roughly eight millimetres thick, along with the rest of the parasailing equipment. Whether it failed because of excessive strain, a technical defect or something else is one of the central questions. So is whether the maritime and safety requirements for the activity were met.

There is still no official confirmation of whether the pair struck rocks, water or both. Until the equipment has been examined, the Guardia Civil is not expected to say whether the failure was mechanical, meteorological or a combination of the two.