Freak waves smash pure pool seconds earlier than 4 vacationers are swept to their dying after ignoring warnings in Tenerife

Dramatic footage captured the moment freak waves smashed into a natural pool seconds before four tourists were swept to their deaths in Tenerife.

The holidaymakers ignored warnings to stay away from the coastline and breached cordons with police tape to take a dip – thinking they were out of harm’s reach despite the choppy ocean waters.

A video of the seconds leading up to the tragedy showed the high waves breaching the concrete wall around the pool in Los Gigantes on Tenerife’s exposed western coast and crashing over the heads of the dozen or so bathers in the water.

The holidaymakers were filmed being thrown around in all directions as they realised too late they were helpless to fight back against nature’s power.

In a second video tourists standing higher up away from the natural pool watched on unable to do anything to save them after the victims were knocked off their feet into the sea and they were reduced to trying to spot them in the surf as the first professional help arrived.

By that point there was no-one in the sea pool, called Crab Island Pool, near the four-star Barcelo Santiago Hotel.

A Canary Islands maritime safety organisation, which has called on hotels to do more to warn tourists about the dangers of the ocean, said today: ‘These images are from seconds before the tragedy in the natural pool in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, and minutes afterwards, showing the shock of onlookers and emergency responders in action trying to find victims in the water.’

Police confirmed overnight no British or Irish tourists had been caught up in Sunday afternoon’s drama.

Two men, one aged 35, died at the scene along with a 55-year-old woman. Another woman died in hospital.

The Civil Guard says it is still trying to locate a fifth possible victim who is still unaccounted for and feared drowned.

Emilio Navarro, mayor of the municipality of Santiago del Teide which Crab Island Pool is part of, revealed yesterday the younger victims were from Italy and Slovakia and said there was an older group also consisting of holidaymakers.

Local reports have also claimed Romanian nationals were among the casualties.

Mr Navarro has accused the tourists of ignoring cordons with police tape declaring the pool out-of-bounds because of the rough seas to access the area.

Footage published online showed barriers put up across the entrance point had been forced by people so they could get through to take selfies from the natural pool or jump into the water.

In January a British holidaymaker died at the landmark natural rock pool after being swept into the sea.

The 60-year-old was one of three people who got into difficulties in the drama at Los Gigantes natural swimming pool in the west of the island.

A rescue helicopter was mobilised along with police, firefighters and emergency medical responders.

The man who ended up dying was found lying face-down in the sea and choppered to a nearby football ground where efforts to revive him after rescue teams discovered he had gone into cardiac arrest proved unsuccessful.

The other two people swept into the sea, both women, managed to reach safety themselves.

One was taken to a health centre with minor injuries and the other treated for a panic attack.

Sebastian Quintana, president of maritime safety organisation Canarias 1500 Km de Costa, insisted today hotels had to do more to keep tourists safe.

He said: ‘Holidaymakers who come to the Canary Islands don’t receive information.

‘Their hotels and tourist accommodation complexes don’t offer them any information.

‘When there is a pre-alert in place because of the sea conditions, as there is now and was at the time of Sunday’s tragedy, we urge hotels and other tourist facilities to put up warning signs in reception or let their clients know directly by telephone.

‘They should tell them, ‘Today, don’t go to the beach or go near the coastline.’

‘The waves of more than 15 feet high that we have been seeing in the last few days can take lives and tragically on Sunday they did.’

Speaking as it emerged 65 people had died in sea and other water-related incidents in the Canary Islands so far already this year and 155 have been injured, a 35 per cent rise on last year, Mr Quintana added: ‘The pool where this tragedy happened is clearly not meant for bathing.

‘A team of lifeguards should be on duty there at all times if people are going to get in the water.’

Sunday’s tragedy in Tenerife happened nearly a month to the day after three people died and 15 were injured in Tenerife after being swept out to sea by high waves during a previous rough seas pre-alert warning,

Most were tourists, with the worst incident in the northern port city of Puerto de la Cruz on November 8 resulting in a 79-year-old Dutch holidaymaker who had just left her cruise liner losing her life and nine others needing hospital treatment after being knocked off a sea wall.

In another the same day six French tourists also ended up in the ocean after being swept off their feet as they wave-watched in Roque de las Bodegas on the island’s north-east tip. Luckily they all survived.

On November 27 a search was launched for a British pensioner who plunged from a TUI-operated cruise ship north of the Canary Islands.

The 76-year-old went overboard from the adults-only Marella Explorer 2 just before 10am when it was 16.5 nautical miles northwest of Punta de Teno in Tenerife.

The sea and air operation to try to find him was wound down after an intensive two days of searching.