Two friends from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria left home on a Friday morning, heading to the La Isleta neighborhood. Their plan was to fish in the El Confital area and along the Las Coloradas coast. They brought fishing rods, confident they would spend the day by the rocks, with parental approval and one friend ready to pick them up later. But they never showed up to the arranged meeting.
From the moment a call went out around 19:15 hours, emergency crews in Gran Canaria began a relentless search by land, sea, and air for the teenagers. Rough sea conditions hindered the rescue efforts. The Subaquatic Rescue Group of the Civil Guard had to withdraw on Saturday at noon due to worsening weather and sea states.
In addition, medical teams from the Canary Emergency Service treated and transported two members of a Salvamento Marítimo vessel who suffered minor injuries after a wave hit them during the search operations.
“The goal is to find the two missing youths. We will not stop until they are located,” stated the rescue team, though they acknowledged the reality: “the sea state is not favorable.” Rescue operations would resume at first light, even as the Canary Government keeps coastal weather alerts in effect across all islands.
The search focused mainly from El Confital Beach, in the southwest part of La Isleta, to Roque Ceniciento in the northeast, with the possibility of expanding if needed. In the site, the Government of the Canary Islands’ Ground Rescue and Emergencies Unit deployed an advanced command post.
Faro de La Isleta
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria firefighters have established the lighthouse area as the search’s zero zone, deploying drones directly opposite where the youths disappeared or where their belongings were found.
Fishing rods and the two friends’ mobile phones were located on Friday afternoon near the island’s northern tip, beyond Punta de la Vieja, in a rugged area known as La Hondura that sits on La Isleta’s military grounds. Police sources told a local paper that the two teenagers were familiar with the area due to their passion for fishing, and it was not the first time they visited. The prevailing hypothesis is that a rogue wave or a sudden sea surge swept them away.
By Friday night, sea conditions were already difficult. The meteorological service warned of offshore swells two to four meters high, with strong seas along Gran Canaria’s coast.
It was a relative of the missing youths who guided the rescue teams after family members alerted emergency services when the youths failed to return as scheduled. Firefighters and military personnel were first to reach the area, where one friend had joined the other on prior occasions. He knew where to look, and while belongings were found, no sign of the youths appeared at that moment.
The search began with visual observations using binoculars and then proceeded with drone teams. When belongings were found, underwater and aerial operations intensified, aided by helicopters from security services. The Canary Islands Emergency Coordination Center quickly activated the response system.
By nightfall, a helicopter, the Government of the Canary Islands’ Ground Rescue Unit, Salvamento Marítimo’s Helimer service, and an array of assets from the army’s air search unit, coast guard, Cruz Roja, and municipal and national police were involved. Drones operated from multiple agencies, including the GES, Policía Nacional, and Las Palmas firefighters, helping cover a wide search area.
Throughout the day, Cruz Roja joined the operation, deploying an Immediate Response Emergency Psychosocial team to support the families who watched the rescue efforts from a designated area in Las Coloradas. The responders will continue the search on Sunday with the sole aim of locating the minors. “We hope for a miracle,” the teams conclude.
In November, a well-known Las Palmas runner disappeared in El Confital, a bit farther west near Los Albarderos while fishing. Neighbors later found his clothing in batters after days passed, underscoring the dangers of the area and the importance of rapid, coordinated rescue responses.