A British baby has died after a driver under the influence of drink and drugs mowed down a group of holidaymakers in Lanzarote.
The five-month-old baby’s parents and grandparents were among six people injured in the horror crash in the tourist resort of Playa Blanca on Monday evening.
Yaiza Town Hall, whose police force is investigating the tragedy, said the driver of the car that mounted the pavement and smashed into them is a 23-year-old British woman who lives on the island.
Town hall officials said in a statement: “The victims of the accident with multiple casualties are a baby that has died and six people who suffered injuries of varying degrees.”
They added: “The person who caused the accident is a 23-year-old woman of British origin who lives in Playa Blanca.
“She is under investigation because at the scene she showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”
“The investigation, which is being led by Yaiza local police, remains open. Yaiza Town Hall extends its solidarity to the victims and their families.”
The unnamed driver is said to have claimed after the incident, which happened just before 6.30pm local time on a bend in a main road near the Aqualava water park and four-star HL hotel, that she had experienced a problem with her steering.
A Yaiza Town Hall spokesman on Tuesday confirmed the British woman had tested positive for both drink and drugs at the scene of the accident.
Her whereabouts was not immediately clear but she is expected to appear in court later on Tuesday or on Wednesday after a formal arrest.
The court hearing would take place behind closed doors as is normal in Spain where only trials take place in public.
Officials in Lanzarote confirmed on Tuesday the baby that died was British. The baby’s parents and grandparents, also from the UK, were among the six people injured.
A spokesman said: “Two people from Sweden, a mother and daughter, were hurt.
“Four people from the UK were injured along with the baby that died.
“The mother and father of the youngster are among the injured as well as the baby’s two maternal grandparents.
“The father of the baby and the baby’s grandmother are the most seriously injured.”
In a full statement on Monday night, a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said of the tragedy: “The incident occurred at 6.22pm local time.
“A baby aged five months died and six people suffered diverse injuries.
“During assistance at the scene two women were found to have suffered serious multiple injuries in an initial evaluation and were transferred to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital in the island capital Arrecife.
“Two other women with several moderate-level multiple injuries were also taken to the same hospital along with two men who had injuries to their lower limbs.
“Seven land ambulances were sent to the scene and an air ambulance was also mobilised because of the seriousness of the incident along with a doctor and nurse from Playa Blanca Health Centre.
“The other emergency responders included firefighters, Civil Protection workers, local police and the Civil Guard.
“The first 999 calls that came in were about an incident in which a car had run over several people in Archipielago Avenue on the corner of Lanzarote Street.
“The medicalised air ambulance was sent to Lanzarote Airport because it was anticipated one of the most seriously-injured women was going to be transferred to a hospital in Gran Canaria.
“Local police will be tasked with producing a report on the incident.”
Last September seven people including two British tourists were injured when a British holidaymaker ploughed into a packed Spanish cafe terrace in his hire car on the neighbouring Canary island of Fuerteventura.
The casualties included a four-month-old baby girl. The drama occurred in the tourist hotspot of Corralejo.
Last month an 83-year-old British tourist died after being run over by a bus in Lanzarote.
She had been rushed to hospital in a “critical” condition on February 21 after being hit by the vehicle in the popular resort of Costa Teguise and stabilised at the scene.
Playa Blanca, Spanish for White Beach, is the southernmost town in Lanzarote. It is around a 40-minute drive from the island airport.
The coastline around Playa Blanca is essentially one large six mile wide bay which is then broken up into three smaller, but still large, bays.
