The female driver who mowed down a group of pedestrians and killed a five-month-old baby in Lanzarote is a British national thought to have been under the influence of drink and drugs, officials said today.
Police have yet to confirm local reports describing the victims, who include two women rushed from the scene seriously injured, as UK holidaymakers.
But Yaiza Town Hall, whose police force is investigating yesterday evening’s tragedy in the tourist resort of Playa Blanca, said overnight the driver of the car that mounted the pavement and smashed into them is a 23-year-old British woman who lives on the island.
Town hall officials said in a statement: ‘The victims of the accident with multiple casualties are a baby that has died and six people who suffered injuries of varying degrees.’
They added: ‘The person who caused the accident is a 23-year-old woman of British origin who lives in Playa Blanca.
‘She is under investigation because at the scene she showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.’
‘The investigation, which is being led by Yaiza local police, remains open. Yaiza Town Hall extends its solidarity to the victims and their families.’
A five-month baby has been killed and several others injured after being mowed down by a car which mounted the pavement in the Lanzarote tourist resort of Playa Blanca (pictured today)
Town Hall officers reported: ‘The person who caused the accident is a 23-year-old woman of British origin who lives in Playa Blanca (pictured)’
The unnamed driver is said to have claimed after the incident, which happened just before 6.30pm local time on a bend in a main road near the Aqualava water park and four-star HL hotel, she had experienced a problem with her steering.
Witnesses told police they thought she had been going too fast, although there was no mention of drink and drugs being a possible factor until town hall officials revealed her nationality and the new details in the ongoing investigation.
Officials have not yet said whether the unnamed expat has been formally arrested and is being held in custody, or whether she was breath-tested and made to do a drugs test at the scene.
In a full update late last night, a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said of the tragedy: ‘The incident occurred at 6.22pm local time.
‘A baby aged five months died and six people suffered diverse injuries.
‘During assistance at the scene two women were found to have suffered serious multiple injuries in an initial evaluation and were transferred to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital in the island capital Arrecife.
‘Two other women with several moderate-level multiple injuries were also taken to the same hospital along with two men who had injuries to their lower limbs.
‘Seven land ambulances were sent to the scene and an air ambulance was also mobilised because of the seriousness of the incident along with a doctor and nurse from Playa Blanca Health Centre.’
‘The other emergency responders included firefighters, Civil Protection workers, local police and the Civil Guard.
Ambulances are seen outside of the hospital near Playa Blanca following the incident
Flamingo beach in Playa Blanca holiday village on coast of Lanzarote Island, Spain. File picture
The statement continued: ‘The first 999 calls that came in were about an incident in which a car had run over several people in Archipielago Avenue on the corner of Lanzarote Street.
‘The medicalised air ambulance was sent to Lanzarote Airport because it was anticipated one of the most seriously injured women was going to be transferred to a hospital in Gran Canaria.
‘Local police will be tasked with producing a report on the incident.’
Last September seven people including two British tourists were injured when a British holidaymaker ploughed into a packed Spanish cafe terrace in his hire car on the neighbouring Canary island of Fuerteventura.
The casualties included a four-month-old baby girl. The drama occurred in the tourist hotspot of Corralejo.
Last month an 83-year-old British tourist died after being run over by a bus in Lanzarote.
She had been rushed to hospital in a ‘critical’ condition on February 21 after being hit by the vehicle in the popular resort of Costa Teguise and stabilised at the scene.
Playa Blanca, Spanish for White Beach, is the southernmost town in Lanzarote. It is around a 40-minute drive from the island airport.
The coastline around Playa Blanca is essentially one large six-mile-wide bay which is then broken up into three smaller, but still large, bays.