Survivors of bus crash that killed Brit in the Canary Islands tell of scenes like a 'horror movie' and passengers 'hanging upside down by their seatbelts'

Published: 01:55, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 01:56, 13 April 2026 Survivors of a bus crash that killed a British pensioner in the Canary Islands say the scene was like 'horror movie' with passengers left 'hanging upside down by their seatbelts.'  The packed tourist bus veered off a road on a bend on La Gomera on Friday afternoon before falling 100ft down a ravine. A 77-year-old British man died in the incident. Twenty-seven others sustained injuries and were taken to hospital, including two British men aged 73 and 42 who suffered 'severe multiple injuries.'  All survivors - including three minors - have since been released from hospital and are currently receiving support from consular officials and experts at the island's Bancal Hotel & Spa.  One British couple staying at the Bancal hotel - who chose to remain anonymous - said the crash was like 'something out of a horror movie.'  They said they felt 'time slowed down' during the incident, and that they 'went head over heels twice.'  The couple added that luckily they had their seatbelts on, however, when the bus came to a standstill they were left hanging from their seats. Other survivors of the crash - which saw the bus plummet 50ft into rocks - said the occurrence was 'traumatising and terrifying.'  Survivors of a bus crash (pictured) that killed a British pensioner in the Canary Island say the scene was like 'horror movie' with passengers left 'hanging upside down by their seatbelts  An aerial view shows the crash site of a tourist bus that veered off the road, killing one and injuring 27 others Another survivor told a hotel guest it was a 'miracle' that they survived, while one added: 'We thought we were all going to die.'  The passengers were travelling to the port at San Sebastian de La Gomera to catch a ferry to Tenerife for their flights back to Britain when the bus came off the road.  Investigations are ongoing, but it is thought a brake failure caused the crash.  Spanish police are currently examining the coach's 'black box' recorder, but have been unable to speak to the vehicle's driver, who suffered serious injuries. As of Sunday afternoon, the driver - a local man believed to be in his fifties - is being treated in hospital on the neighbouring island of Tenerife. Juan Luis Navarro, the Spanish government's representative on the Canary Islands, said the driver 'tried to fight' from when he detected the brake failure. He said the Civil Guard has began to interview passengers onboard the ill-fated vehicle, however, said 'not all the passengers are in the same position to collaborate or cooperate.'  Mr Navarro said as far as he is aware, there was a 'rollover and the bus rolled for several metres, falling down the slope.'  One British couple said the crash was like 'something out of a horror movie'  He said: 'It must have rolled at least once or twice because the direction in which the bus came to rest wasn't straight. It was on its side.  'I understand that it rolled two or three times. I don't know for sure because there are many expert analysis that the Civil Guard has to carry out.' Mr Navarro added it was 'very important' that the Civil Guard interview the widow of the British man who died.  It is understood that she was sat beside him at the time of the crash, and only discovered her husband passed away once in hospital.  La Gomera Tours, the bus owner and operator, insisted in the aftermath of the tragedy all its vehicles were 'up to date' with inspections and it wasn't aware of any incident or complaint from their drivers regarding that stretch of road. A representative told Spanish media the driver is experienced and passes the spot where the crash occurred 'virtually every day.' However, the crash is not an isolated incident on that particular part of road. Last year, a 73-year-old Spanish woman was killed and 11 others were injured when a public bus overturned on the same patch of road.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.