Sunday, February 11, 2007
Six dead in cavern on Tenerife
Further to earlier reports, rescuers, although awaiting the recuperation of the last body, have confirmed the death of six people, due to lack of oxygen and inhalation of volcanic gasses, who were trapped "by error" in the Piedra de los Cochinos shaft. The six, five men and one woman, were part of a group of 30, including scientists and members of a nature organization, who entered the gallery on Saturday.
It has also been confirmed that a "good number" of those inside were of foreign origin, but no details have yet been given with regard to their identities or nationalities.
Rescue teams had not been able to reach the point where these persons were trapped, some 2,000 meters from the entrance to the gallery, although they had tried to get oxygen to them. During the night and early morning, Civil Guard rescued 23 of the 30, who had been trapped for close to 16 hours. Underwater teams with oxygen supplies reached those, 1,200 and 1,400 meters inside the gallery.
Six others, with breathing difficulties, were taken to hospital by helicopter. Three of those rescued, two women and a man, are in a serious condition.
Civil Guard, fire services, Red Cross and a helicopter from the Government Emergency Services have all been deployed in the rescue, which is in an area with already difficult access. At the gallery site, there is no mobile phone coverage, making it difficult for different rescue teams to remain in contact.
The two groups on the excursion, amongst whom are both Spanish and foreign scientists, from the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC) and the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), who were walking the route from Erjos - Cuevas Negras - Los Silos, in the Teno Rural Park on Saturday.
The brother of one of the party indicted that the walkers were accompanied by three guides, however the person who knew the area best had been unable to go on the trip. It had been explained to them by phone how to find the tunnel that connects the two gorges in which they were lost, nevertheless, the walkers made a mistake and entered the water gallery known as Piedra de los Cochinos instead.
The alarm was raised at around 16:45 on Saturday, when one of the party managed to escape, after they had entered the gallery at around 14:00 and an hour later began to faint. When they regained consciousness, they began their attempts to get out.
The 1.9 m high and 1.8 meter wide Piedra de los Cochinos water gallery, which was opened around 200 years ago and closed in 1964, is within the Monte del Agua - one of the largest laurisilva (subtropical cloud forests) in the Canary Islands - between Erjos and Los Silos. Access to the area is via Las Portelas - where a rescue coordination center has been set up - here in the El Palmar valley.
This is not the first accident to have occurred in the area, where there are various footpaths and walkers mistake the galleries for tunnels.
Confirmado el fallecimiento de seis personas a falta de la recuperación del último cadáver
Reducidas esperanzas de rescatar con vida a los seis excursionistas atrapados en la galería de agua
Al menos siete excursionistas permanecían atrapados en una vieja galería de Los Silos
29 personas se pierden en una galería en Tenerife
Rescatan a 20 jóvenes y quedan atrapados otros nueve en una galería en Los Silos
Doce excursionistas quedan atrapados en una galería en Los Silos
Dramatic cave rescue operation carried out in Tenerife
Six feared dead in cavern on Tenerife
Three confirmed dead in Tenerife cave rescue drama
Gas Apparently Kills 6 in Spain Tunnels
It has also been confirmed that a "good number" of those inside were of foreign origin, but no details have yet been given with regard to their identities or nationalities.
Rescue teams had not been able to reach the point where these persons were trapped, some 2,000 meters from the entrance to the gallery, although they had tried to get oxygen to them. During the night and early morning, Civil Guard rescued 23 of the 30, who had been trapped for close to 16 hours. Underwater teams with oxygen supplies reached those, 1,200 and 1,400 meters inside the gallery.
Six others, with breathing difficulties, were taken to hospital by helicopter. Three of those rescued, two women and a man, are in a serious condition.
Civil Guard, fire services, Red Cross and a helicopter from the Government Emergency Services have all been deployed in the rescue, which is in an area with already difficult access. At the gallery site, there is no mobile phone coverage, making it difficult for different rescue teams to remain in contact.
The two groups on the excursion, amongst whom are both Spanish and foreign scientists, from the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC) and the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN), who were walking the route from Erjos - Cuevas Negras - Los Silos, in the Teno Rural Park on Saturday.
The brother of one of the party indicted that the walkers were accompanied by three guides, however the person who knew the area best had been unable to go on the trip. It had been explained to them by phone how to find the tunnel that connects the two gorges in which they were lost, nevertheless, the walkers made a mistake and entered the water gallery known as Piedra de los Cochinos instead.
The alarm was raised at around 16:45 on Saturday, when one of the party managed to escape, after they had entered the gallery at around 14:00 and an hour later began to faint. When they regained consciousness, they began their attempts to get out.
The 1.9 m high and 1.8 meter wide Piedra de los Cochinos water gallery, which was opened around 200 years ago and closed in 1964, is within the Monte del Agua - one of the largest laurisilva (subtropical cloud forests) in the Canary Islands - between Erjos and Los Silos. Access to the area is via Las Portelas - where a rescue coordination center has been set up - here in the El Palmar valley.
This is not the first accident to have occurred in the area, where there are various footpaths and walkers mistake the galleries for tunnels.
Confirmado el fallecimiento de seis personas a falta de la recuperación del último cadáver
Reducidas esperanzas de rescatar con vida a los seis excursionistas atrapados en la galería de agua
Al menos siete excursionistas permanecían atrapados en una vieja galería de Los Silos
29 personas se pierden en una galería en Tenerife
Rescatan a 20 jóvenes y quedan atrapados otros nueve en una galería en Los Silos
Doce excursionistas quedan atrapados en una galería en Los Silos
Dramatic cave rescue operation carried out in Tenerife
Six feared dead in cavern on Tenerife
Three confirmed dead in Tenerife cave rescue drama
Gas Apparently Kills 6 in Spain Tunnels
Labels: Piedra de los Cochinos
2 Comments:
Pamela wrote (on
February 13, 2007)
Oh, Miguel Ángel, I am so sorry to hear that this was a friend of yours, although I am glad to be of some little service at this incredibly sad time. My sincerest sympathies.
Thank you for your reliable article, this is the only one written in English I could link people to if I wanted to explain why I am sad these days.
One of the dead young men, the Italian IAC researcher, was a friend of my.