Urgent safety warnings have been issued in the Canary Islands after two people drowned and another is missing as the coasts are battered by 18ft waves.
Two people got into trouble off a beach in Bajamar, a tourist town in the northeast of Tenerife.
One was rescued but another is still missing and the search on water and with a helicopter is continuing today.
According to reports from 1-1-2 in the Canary Islands, the two people were spotted in trouble at sea in the area of Charco de La Laja (Bajamar), La Laguna, Tenerife.
The person rescued was suffering from cuts and bruises and hypothermia.
Amid warnings of bad weather on the coasts, another woman died on Saturday after being dragged by a wave in the Pozo de Las Calcosas area, in the municipality of Valverde on the smaller Canary islands of El Hierro.
The tragedy happened at 9am on Saturday. The emergency services received an alert saying a massive wave had washed a woman out of the natural pool and her body was seen floating in the sea.
A GES helicopter located the woman hoisted her onto the aircraft and evacuated her to the vicinity of the hospital where the SUC ambulance was waiting. Doctors could only confirm her death.
Neither her age nor nationality has been revealed.
And this morning, the emergency services have confirmed that a second woman has drowned in the Canary island of Fuerteventura.
She is said to be of foreign nationality, possibly a tourist, and aged around 50.
A spokesman confirmed she was found just before 8am this morning on the coast of Pajara, a resort in the southwest of the island known for its white sandy beaches.
Other people in the area at the time pulled the woman from the sea and started resuscitation. Medics continued on their arrival but could not revive her.
Another swimmer had to be rescued when swept into the water on the coast of Adeje in the south of Tenerife.
The State Meteorological Agency activated the wave warning in the Canary Islands yesterday and the alert is continuing today.
Specifically, it is about warnings for coastal risks that will completely affect the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa, as well as the north of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. La Gomera is the only island that is saved from the wave warning in the Canary Islands.
Likewise, the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies of the Canary Government has declared an alert throughout the autonomous community due to the forecast of adverse coastal phenomena that could result in 18ft waves in the Canary Islands and also by strong winds on the summits and slopes oriented to the southeast.
The weather agency has warned that the conditions will continue all day Sunday with waves of between four and five metres expected.
A spokesman for 112 said: "Today the bad weather continues on our shores. Avoid dangerous places. A sudden change of sea can drag you out to sea. On avenues and promenades near the coastline, do not stay near the sea even if the waves calm down suddenly."
