Spectacular rescue in Argaga yet again

Above images were taken by the Spanish police early in the morning on Saturday, August 3rd 2019, during a spectacular rescue of a mountain hiker who had become trapped in a cliff of the notorious  Barranco de Argaga area near Valle Gran Rey, which is however part of the municipality of Vallehermoso. The trapped hiker had to spend the previous night in the precipitous location to await daylight and rescue by the Guardia Civil mountain unit police helicopter. In the first image (and the close-up of same below it) a rescuer had already been set down near the trapped man to assess the victim's state of health. Luckily he was unharmed and was then brought down to the heliport of Valle Gran Rey.

Please stay away from Argaga, as numerous accidents and even deaths have occurred there. Read more...

British walker rescued after fall on treacherous path

Mountain rescue (Archive image)

A 70-year-old British woman had to be rescued by helicopter on Saturday afternoon after falling while walking in the Las Lecheras, El Guro, area of Valle Gran Rey. Emergency services say that they were called out at around 4pm after reports that the woman had lower leg injuries, and she was airlifted to San Sebastián and then taken by ambulance to the island’s Hospital Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe where her condition is said not to be serious.

The Las Lecheras path is one of the most treacherous in La Gomera and is officially closed as erosion and rockfalls have made it almost impassable and hard to find in places. There are some misleading goat paths in the area which add to the danger. This path and the dangerous path up (or down) the Argaga ravine are the two paths which are definitely best avoided and and often the cause for complicated rescue operations.

Trapped on freezing Teide

Mount Teide seen from La Gomera recently

More than 100 people had to spend last night in freezing temperatures at about 11.000 feet near the top of Spain's s highest mountain after the cable car to the top shut itself down at around 2pm yesterday, apparently due to a fault in its safety system. 

All afternoon until nightfall the 35 people in each of the two cabins were rescued first, after firemen, police, park rangers and helicopters had been called in to help with an abseiling system to get the trapped tourists down from the cabins suspended at about 150 feet above the ground.

One by one tourists were lowered to safety during a four hour rescue operation. Each one was placed in a harness and then dropped through the hatch of the cable car. There were no injuries but some of those rescued needed treatment for shock and altitude sickness.

Of the couple of hundred people at the top station who had been waiting to come down many were able to walk down the steep rocky slope to the base station with the help of the emergency services, but many elderly and families with children had to face a very cold night near the top at about 3.500 metres altitude as night was approaching. They were supplied with warm clothing, blankets and food. About fifty members of the emergency services including psychologists stayed with those trapped at the upper cable car station overnight. At first light today the rescue of the 103 adults and 8 children has begun with those able to walk being guided down the mountain, and the remainder being flown out with helicopters.

The reason why the cable car system's emergency stop was triggered automatically is not known yet, and as initial inspections have not revealed any mechanical faults, the company operating the cable car has stated that the cabins had not been in danger at any time.

Even sheep stick to the safe paths here

The rescue helicopter was needed once again in the Argaga ravine near Valle Gran Rey yesterday around noon, after a 34 years old female hiker fell several metres in an area of difficult access there. The helicopter had to put down a rescue crew nearby from where they then had to fetch the injured on a stretcher to the pick-up point to be flown to the hospital in the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera. The injuries sustained by the women were said to be minor, so she had a lucky escape.

The area where the incident happened is notorious for bad falls and the the walk up and down that ravine is extremely dangerous and has been officially closed for years, yet many still attempt it. Also, there are still copies of outdated walking guides in circulation which list this walk, even though the gorge has claimed the lives of several walkers.

If you intend to hike in the mountains of La Gomera without a guide, make sure that your information is up-to-date, enquire locally and stick to clearly defined paths. Avoid areas such as Argaga gorge where the paths have eroded or collapsed. Even sheep wouldn't go there.

New rescue helicopter first time in action on La Gomera

The  brand new Sokol SAR helicopter on a rescue mission in Valle Gran Rey; La Gomera yesterday

Rescuers assisting the injured hiker yesterday

I witnessed the first action in La Gomera of the brand new search and rescue helicopter stationed on neighbouring El Hierro island yesterday afternoon. A 72 year old German lady had suffered a fall near the top of La Merica mountain on the popular but very steep mountain track between Valle Gran Rey and Arure leaving her unable to continue her hike. The emergency services were called on 112 and the helicopter was dispatched to set down rescue personnel who then gave first aid and got the casualty ready on a stretcher for the helicopter transfer to hospital. The victim's arm and ankle injuries were said to be 'minor', but police and the local voluntary fire brigade were also mobilised.

The new Sokol helicopter is one of three acquired by the Canarian government which were delivered from the manufacturers in Poland to the islands of El Hierro, La Palma and Fuerteventura  just a few days ago. These twin-engined choppers fly at a speed of 140 knots and can accommodate up to 14 persons. They will also be used in fire fighting, lifting about 1600 litres of water in a special attachment. The new state-of-the-art SAR helicopters also offer greater range and safety than the models previously used here.

The new helicopter picking up rescue crew and the casualty yesterday afternoon

Yet another death in Argaga gorge

The body of a 73-year-old German tourist was recovered in the gorge of Argaga which is close to Valle Gran Rey with the help of a helicopter yesterday. The man had been reported missing when he failed to return from a hike in the ravine which is the most dangerous on La Gomera. It is presumed that he slipped and fell in diffult terrain, but a post-mortem is to be carried out today to establish the precise cause of death. There are regular rockfalls in Argaga any weather and the paths there are very steep, eroded and difficult to find and follow. Officially the hike through the gorge has been closed for years, but it is still featured in several guide books, particularly the older editions. Most rescue missions on La Gomera concern the Argaga area and the spooky ravine has claimed several lives over the past few years. Even the most experienced and very fit hikers have gotten into difficulties there. My advice is to avoid the Argaga gorge entirely, as there are plenty of safer but still challenging alternatives.

Two accidents leave one dead and one injured

Two separate accidents this weekend left one dead and one injured on La Gomera. 

First a local man in his eighties from the Arguamul area in La Gomera's north-west was reported missing by his family when he failed to return home late on Friday. Yesterday his body was discovered below a precipice near the chapel of Santa Clara, but the abrupt terrain made the recovery of his body extremely difficult, and only efforts by specialised mountain rescue teams finally resulted in recovering the corpse later on Saturday. The octogenarian was well known and respected in La Gomera, particularly for his reliable regular ringing of the the bells of the chapel of Santa Clara.

Arguamul seen from near Santa Clara

In a separate incident a 62-year-old woman who was out hiking in Valle Gran Rey suffered a fall and a suspected knee fracture. She had to be rescued by the GES helicopter and was transferred to the hospital in San Sebastian de La Gomera where she was said to be recovering from her injuries.

GES Search & Rescue helicopter in action (archive image)

Rescue Helicopter in Action Again This Morning

More Helicopters And A Tragic Death

The El Hierro rescue helicopter has been kept very busy on La Gomera since my last post. On Saturday a tragic accident occurred in Valle Gran Rey just before dark. A man in his 40's was coming from a 'fiesta' and fell about 70 yards down a steep incline. According to rumours he suffered a heart attack and subsequently fell. The helicopter was quickly on scene and found the injured in a critical condition and he was flown to the island's  brand new hospital where he died a short while later.

On Tuesday an employee of 'Cobra', the company repairing and substituting power lines 

damaged in the recent fires had a work-related accident and had to be choppered to hospital for treatment. He is said to be recovering well.

More rescue helicopter action was observed during the week, but these were comparatively minor incidents.

Helicopter action of a different kind is making headlines in the Canaries these days, as  military choppers have been flying combat style over houses and the spanish MOD have  said that the crews are training for missions in Afghanistan. Local pressure groups are outraged and call it a 'cynical act in the face of cutbacks in health and social spending'

CIVIL AVIATION NEWS 

'Islas Airways', an small airline that operates inter-island flights in the Canaries has temporarily suspended its operations to 'reorganise its operation and to review the financial situation'. This leaves 'Binter' the only airline to operate flights here.

Meanwhile 'Ryanair' has offered to step in and operate flights between the Canary Islands,

'if seven restrictions are lifted' and they said that it is 'now cheaper to fly from the Canaries to London than to fly from one island to another'.

Another Rescue Operation

On La Gomera every now and then we witness helicopters coming to the rescue of hill walkers and tourists who just seem unable to stick to our mostly well defined paths. 

While most hiking trails and walks on La Gomera are easy and can be enjoyed by almost anybody with two functioning legs, there are some tracks that should be left to the adventure-seeking specialists. Especially near cliffs one should heed the signs and stick to the defined route, rather than follow a barely visible goat-track, no matter how enticing the view at the dubious end may be. 
On Sunday it happened again that the rescue helicopter from neighbouring El Hierro island had to come to La Gomera and risk flying into a gorge in the mountain 'Teguerguenche' east of my house to set down a crew member, then circling in wait, and finally picking up the injured and crew again. But beware, the rules have changed this year. Now this service can cost you a lot of money, if it was needed because of irresponsible or reckless action by you.

However, it is reassuring to know that efficient help does arrive very fast when needed.