A heavy downpour triggered a rockslide that struck vehicles on a dangerous road in Tenerife, causing alarm among locals. Startling images captured the aftermath, showing two cars wrecked on the treacherous TF-82 route linking Tamaimo and Santiago del Teide on the Spanish island.
The two drivers involved in the frightening accident narrowly escaped disaster, with reports indicating they were just centimeters away from tragedy but luckily remained unharmed. One car’s rear end was completely crushed, while a white vehicle sustained damage to the front, with a large rock perched above the right headlight.
Photos also depicted debris scattered across a section of the road, obstructing passage, with two figures in the distance providing scale to the rocks’ size. The TF-82 route, identified as one of the island’s high-risk roads, has experienced multiple incidents, prompting strong criticism from Emilio Navarro, the mayor of Santiago del Teide, who stressed ongoing safety concerns.
Motorists navigating the route were assisted by police and maintenance crews from the Cabildo for cleanup efforts following the rockslide. This incident is not the first to affect the perilous TF-82, as the road was previously closed due to a similar event just a month earlier.
In a separate incident last April on Tenerife, fifteen residents were evacuated following a landslide in the island’s northeast. The event, which occurred on the TF-13 road between Bajamar and Punta del Hidalgo in La Laguna, saw a large rock crash onto a property, prompting a swift response from authorities and cautioning residents about traffic disruptions.
The World Health Organization defines landslides as the movement of soil, rocks, or debris down a slope, often due to natural factors or human activities. The Canary Islands, a popular holiday spot for Brits, attracted nearly 18 million visitors in 2024, with British tourists constituting a significant portion, making the Canaries a favored destination for over 6.3 million UK travelers.
Among the Canary Islands, Tenerife emerged as the top choice for international tourists, drawing over 6.2 million visitors, in addition to hosting more than 900,000 domestic vacationers.