Five people have been injured when their sailing yacht ran aground near Órzola harbour in northern Lanzarote this morning, Sunday, leaving four of them waiting for rescue in a life raft.
The skipper managed to reach the shore by making his way across the rocks, while firefighters eventually helped the other four occupants safely onto land.
The alarm was raised shortly before 6.00am after the yacht got into difficulty near the harbour’s protective sea wall.
On board were three men and two women, all of French nationality, aged between 20 and 30 years old. All five received medical attention after escaping the boat. Their injuries were described as non-life threatening, with cuts, bruising and hypothermia reported.
Rescue teams bring everyone ashore
Lanzarote firefighters worked alongside Maritime Rescue during the operation. A rescue helicopter was also sent to the area.
Once everyone was ashore, the rescue boat Salvamar Acrux recovered the life raft.
The yacht was left badly damaged on the rocks beside the harbour wall, however, maritime rescuers said it was not a danger to other boats navigating the area.
Emergency teams were assessing how to recover the vessel and checking whether any fuel could leak into the sea. No spill had been confirmed at the time of writing.
It is not yet clear what caused the yacht to run aground.
