A 75-year-old man has been seriously injured after his car veered off the road plunged into a ravine in Tenerife, prompting a major rescue operation involving firefighters, paramedics and police.

The accident happened at around 2:45pm yesterday afternoon, Saturday, in the area of Arico, according to the Canary Islands Emergency and Security Coordination Centre (CECOES).

Emergency services were alerted that a vehicle had left the road and fallen into a ravine, leaving its elderly occupant injured and requiring specialist assistance to reach him.

Firefighters carry out difficult rescue

Firefighters were deployed to the scene and had to make their way down the ravine to reach the vehicle and the injured man.

After locating him, they carried out the rescue and brought the 75-year-old back up to a safe area on a stretcher where medical teams were waiting to treat him.

SUC paramedics assessed the man at the scene and found that he had suffered several serious injuries as a result of the accident.

After being stabilised, he was transferred by ambulance to the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital in Santa Cruz, where he was admitted for further treatment.

Police investigating the accident

The Guardia Civil and Local Police also attended the scene, assisting emergency crews during the operation.

Officers have opened the corresponding investigation into the accident to establish how the vehicle came to leave the road and plunge into the ravine.

No further information has currently been released regarding the circumstances leading up to the crash or the man's condition following his admission to hospital.