Baby Dies In Playa Blanca Tragedy
A 5 month old baby girl was killed in the early evening on Monday, when a car mounted the pavement on Avenida Archipelago in the resort of Playa Blanca. The child’s parents and grandparents were injured, the father and grandmother seriously. The family of the baby are from the UK. A couple from Sweden were also injured. The baby’s father was airlifted to hospital in Las Palmas, all the other victims are in Arrecife hospital.
The driver of the car is a 23 year old British woman, who lives in Playa Blanca. Initial reports on the local press suggest she was under the influence of drink and drugs, and that she was travelling at 60KHM at the point she mounted the pavement. She appeared in court for a pre trial hearing but was unable to testify, as it is reported she has suffered a nervous breakdown. A judge has withdrawn her passport, forbidden her to leave the island and and called for her to testify when she is able, to charges of reckless homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol, toxic drugs, narcotics or psychotropic substances.
The Mayor of Yaiza has announced two days of mourning in the municipality, for flags to be placed at half mast and for a minute’s silence on Wednesday morning.
Local residents left many bunches of flowers and small toys at the scene of the accident this week.
High Temperatures This Weekend……
The first heatwave of the spring is due to hit the island this weekend, with temperatures in the low 30’s expected, with a light easterly wind.
…..And It Was A Record February
February was the warmest this century, with an average temperature of 20.7 degrees, compared to the average of 17.2 in 2023.
Payagayo Access Road Smoother
Diggers were used this week to smooth out the gravel road to the campsite and beaches of Papagayo in preparation for Easter.
Huelva Ferry Service Ending
The Armas Trasmediterránea Group, will cease operating its service from The Canaries to the port of Huelva in mainland Spain on 19th April. The service has been in operation since 2011, but the company has said they will now concentrate on running all their services from the islands into the port of Cadiz with three ships ‘Ciudad de Valencia’, ‘Volcán de Tinamar’ and ‘Villa de Tazacorte.’
Historic Record For Passengers Through Airport
More than 700,000 passengers travelled through Lanzarote Airport in February, a historic high for the month, 12.5% up on 2023, and an astonishing 40% than for the same month ten years ago.
New Hiperdino Opens In Playa Blanca
The Hiperdino supermarket at La Sal in Playa Blanca, on the promenade in front of the Barcelo Playa Blanca Hotel, has opened. The store has a bakery, a fruit section and a large stock of wines. It will be open every day from 08:00 until 22:00.
New Sports Court For Faro de Pechiguera
Work has already started on the construction of a sports area close to the lighthouse in Playa Blanca, on a plot of 1,000 M2. The area will be for multiple different types of sport and an investment of 286.000 € has been made.
Phobos Is Lit Up!
The most famous wind toy on the island, Phobos, which sits on the Fundacion Cesar Manrique roundabout in Tahiche, has been fitted with lights as part of the refurbishment recently carried out. We’ll get a photo of it at night soon!
Cruise Passengers Spend An Average Of 100 €
The Councillor for Commerce and Tourism of the City of Arrecife, Elisabeth Merino, presented a report this week which revealed that the average cruise passenger spends around 100 € when visiting the shops bars and restaurants on the island while their ships are docked.
Fuel Prices Down
Fuel prices fell slightly on the island last month. The average cost of gasoline is now 1,34 € with diesel at 1,32 €. The gasolinera with the lowest price was the SPL station on the Tias to Yaiza road, with with both gasoline and diesel at 1,28 €
Co-Working Space For Digital Nomads Opens
A new co-working space has been opened at the Chamber of Commerce building in Arrecife. The area will offer visiting and local digital entrepreneurs to use 12 state of the art workstations, high speed internet, a 3d printer, a studio to make podcasts and more.
Sun beds Set Alight In Costa Teguise
Beach Sun Beds were set on fire in Costa Teguise late last Friday night. Fire fighters put out an initial blaze and they were then called to another, on another beach in the resort. Police are investigating.
Huge Waves Cause Chaos In Famara
Huge waves and a very high tide brought chaos to Famara on Sunday, washing tonnes of sand and stones into the town and onto the roads. The town hall has started a major clean up with the aim of getting things back to normal in time for Easter.
We’ll add more news here as it comes in……
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