Recklessness on Teide: 130 people evacuated, three by helicopter, due to hypothermia and altitude sickness

112 Canarias has activated the helicopter of the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) to coordinate the rescue of three of them with symptoms of hypothermia. The rescued people will be taken to the La Guancha helipad, where an SUC ambulance will take them to a health center. The rest have begun the descent on their own from the peak through Montaña Blanca accompanied by members of the Red Cross and Firefighters.

The conditions in the upper part of Teide are very cold and some ice, weather conditions in which the cable car cannot operate, something that has been notified to the population. Despite this, since last Saturday around 130 people have already had to be evacuated from the peak.

Teide is a high mountain, with low temperatures, frost and risk of altitude sickness and climbing without experience or adequate preparation is a «real recklessness«, warns from the Tenerife Cabildo, which reiterates the recommendation not to climb Mount Teide while the bad weather lasts.

Along these lines, they insist that the measures and warnings seek to prevent incidents and protect the integrity of people and not complying with these instructions “represents a unnecessary and avoidable risk« while thanking the efforts of the emergency teams and the staff of the Teide Cable Car for guaranteeing the safety of the rescued people.

The Cabildo of Tenerife has recommended that the population not access the peak of Teide due to the bad weather conditions after this Sunday it had to evacuate others. 28 people who climbed on foot recklessly to the upper station of the Cable Car, adding to the 77 rescued for the same reason on this Saturday’s day.

Emergency meeting

The Natural Environment, Sustainability and Emergency Safety area of ​​the Cabildo de Tenerife has called a meeting at the Island Operation Coordination Center (Cecopin) to address what is happening in the Teide National Park with the hikes to the peak and the adoption of urgent measures to preserve the safety of people.

The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, has warned of «serious danger«What does it mean to climb these days to the peak of Teide due to the bad weather conditions and the fact that the cable car is inoperative.

He has asked for “responsibility and common sense to avoid dangerous and unnecessary situations that put at risk not only the lives of those who climb” but also for the rescue teams.

Dávila has insisted that climbing to the peak is not recommended these days and regrets that all the rescue teams have had to be activated repeatedly due to these “imprudence” since last Saturday, with a total of 130 people who have climbed in an inappropriate manner.