Tenerife tourist protests restart after holidaymakers get trapped on volcano sparking rescue mission

Anti-tourist protests in Tenerife have restarted after “reckless” holidaymakers got trapped on a valcano sparking a huge rescue mission.

Tenerife Council had to co-ordinate the rescue of 130 people between Saturday and Monday from the top of the Teide because of bad weather. Many are said to have walked up the 12,188ft mountain in little more than shorts and a T-shirt.

Some of the stricken hikers had to be winched to safety by helicopter after finding themselves freezing in sub-zero temperatures and being battered by high winds with no easy way back down because the Teide Cable Car was shut due to the inclement weather. The rescues were organised after a recently installed SOS button, located in a building attached to the upper station of the cable car, was activated on all three days.

Late yesterday island officials announced the closure of access hiking routes to Spain’s highest summit from 4pm to 9am for the next fortnight to try to redress the situation as they warned those rescued had been identified and could expect to be hit with bills of up to £1,500. Locals have reacted with fury after Tenerife Council confirmed 77 people had been assisted on Saturday, 28 on Monday and 25 yesterday and accused them of putting their saviours’ lives at risk by trying to reach the top of the Teide without the proper preparation.

Their nationalities have not been disclosed but the vast majority have been described as tourists. One angry resident reacted to a Tenerife Council tweet disclosing the first day’s rescue figures by saying: “Tourists? Just leave them up there.”

Miguel Nunez wrote: “Did they speak English or German.” Another said: “Make sure they pay for their rescue”, before adding: “They’ll have also been given a warm drink and thanked for visiting the island. Sons of b***hes.”

“Did they eat fish and chips?” an island resident added, appearing to point the finger at British holidaymakers. Three of the 25 people rescued yesterday had to be brought down from a mountain refuge near the volcano summit by helicopter. They were women who were suffering the onset of hypothermia although they declined the offer of hospital treatment after being choppered to safety.

A spokesman for an emergency response co-ordination centre confirmed overnight they were part off a group of people who got into difficulties near the Altavista Refuge, which is 10,695ft above sea level and is currently temporarily closed. Confirming the first day’s evacuations before the new rescues over the following 48 hours and the decision to suspend walking routes to the volcano summit except in the mornings and early afternoon, Tenerife Council said on X,: “These people recklessly accessed on foot the upper station of the cable car, which was closed due to adverse weather conditions.

“Some people showed symptoms of altitude sickness, which activated the emergency alert. Thanks to a coordinated intervention with the cable car managers, and taking advantage of a temporary improvement in conditions, 64 people were evacuated by cable car while another 13 descended on foot.”

Environment councillor Blanca Perez added: “The Teide is a high mountain with extreme temperatures and conditions that can endanger the lives of those who climb it without adequate preparation. It is essential to respect safety measures and weather alerts.”

She said in a subsequent address to local media, warning people who had to be rescued after trying to hike up the Teide without the proper preparation would be asked to pick up the bill and face fines: “You can’t go up a high mountain in shorts without the right equipment and preparation.”

The rescues occurred after the Canary Islands’ regional government sounded a weather warnings for the Atlantic archipelago about rain and storms, telling the local population to avoid unnecessary travel outdoors. Last month thousands of protestors marched through tourist resorts in six of the eight Canary Islands in a smaller repeat of anti-mass tourism demonstrations there in April to highlight problems like the lack of affordable housing because of tourists.

In Tenerife hundreds of flag-waving protestors stormed a beach in Playa de Las Americas beating drums and blowing whistles. One couple ended up trapped on their beach towels after protestors made a beeline for them on the sand carrying a banner which appeared to say ‘Jediondos’ which is Spanish slang for ‘foul-smelling.’

Canary Islanders furious at their actions responded by criticising them, with one woman branding the beach demonstrators “D**kheads.” Graffiti targeted at tourists has appeared in both Tenerife and Majorca, one of the many holiday destinations in Spain where anti-mass tourism demonstrations have been organised this year.

Graffiti in English left on walls and benches in and around Palm Mar in southern Tenerife at the start of April included messages saying ‘My misery your paradise’ and ‘Average salary in Canary Islands is 1,200 euros.’ In an apparent UK backlash, a response left in English on a wall next to a ‘Tourists go home’ message said: “F**k off, we pay your wages.”

After local politicians paved the way for tourists to be charged to visit the island’s natural spaces from the start of next year, the words ‘Canarias tiene un limite’ – English for ‘The Canary Islands have a limit – subsequently appeared painted on the tarmac of one of the access roads to the iconic Teide mountain.

Another message painted on the road said: ‘Moratoria turistica’ – ‘Tourist moratorium’ in English.’ Some foreign holidaymakers have shown their support for the issues raised by campaigners but others have accused them of biting the hand that feeds them.

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