Helicopter rescues 86-year-old hiker after fall in Tenerife
An 86-year-old man was airlifted to hospital on yesterday morning (Wednesday) after suffering a dangerous fall on a mountain trail in Santiago del Teide, leading to a rapid multi-agency emergency response.
The incident happened at around 11:45 am on the path near the local cemetery, when CECOES 112 received an alert reporting that the man had fallen and was badly injured. Given the rugged terrain and the seriousness of the call, a GES rescue helicopter was immediately sent to the area.
Firefighters and the Local Police were first to reach him, finding him on the ground with a head injury and unable to move to safety. Crews secured the area and helped guide the helicopter team to the exact location so the rescue could be carried out quickly.
The hiker was winched aboard the aircraft and flown to a safe landing point, where SUC medical teams were waiting. He was stabilised at the scene before being transferred to hospital for urgent treatment.
This year has seen an increase in aerial rescue operations across the Canary Islands, with the Grupo de Emergencias y Salvamento (GES) helicopter repeatedly called upon to evacuate injured hikers, swimmers in distress and visitors caught out on inaccessible trails or rugged coastlines. Earlier this month there was an evacuation of a falling hiker in Lanzarote and on 12th August, a woman was rescued from a natural pool in Los Gigantes, Tenerife after a near-drowning incident. In another instance, on 28th July two people were airlifted from a closed beach at Playa de Los Patos in La Orotava.
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