One of the most significant tragedies that took place in The Cañadas del Teide occurred on this very day in 1947. A truck carrying 47 hikers from Puerto de la Cruz plunged down a ravine in the Black Tabonal area. This incident, which shocked the Valle de La Orotava and the entire island, resulted in five fatalities and 40 injuries. Reports from that time noted that the funeral for the five deceased was one of the most profound expressions of grief that the long-time residents had ever witnessed.
Diario de Avisos revisited this historical occurrence in a special report published on February 9, 1997, marking the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. It was a journey organised by the youth from Puerto Cruz, a common event orchestrated by the Iriarte society gang. It was a Sunday, similar to today. A Willys truck, with registration TF-5706, driven by Miguel Díaz Villar, departed from the port of La Cruz with 45 hikers aboard — the majority in their twenties — seated on makeshift wooden benches. The morning was rainy, necessitating the truck to be covered.
As soon as the Willys set off, the atmosphere was filled with singing and merriment, accompanied by music from the guitar and timple. “More wood, for it is war,” some shouted, echoing the lively spirit. When they reached the Orotavense neighbourhood of Barroso, with the sea of clouds behind them, the driver stopped as the sun shone brilliantly, allowing for the cover to be lifted — a decision that, in retrospect, saved many lives. Most took the opportunity to stretch their legs and indulge in the first ‘tanganazo’ of wine.
This makeshift bus continued its gradual ascent towards the Cañadas del Teide, with the intention of witnessing the remaining snow on the island’s peaks. No one could have foreseen how dramatically that snow would change colour — the white snow turning purple, as poet Manuel Hernández aptly expressed — just as it would irrevocably alter the lives of approximately fifty individuals travelling in that fateful truck.
Among the passengers, Victoria Acosta recounted in 1997 to the newspaper that at that crucial moment, they were singing a trendy song, which would sadly prove prophetic: “The Cayman leaves. And he left for the Barranquera… ”As the vehicle travelled through kilometre 41 of the road from La Orotava to Vilaflor, roughly 300 metres past the old Civil Guard post — which then vanished — tragedy struck. The clock had just passed noon. Reports indicated that excessive speed and an overloaded vehicle caused the truck to lose control while navigating a sharp bend. It veered off the road, crashed into a precipice, overturned and plummeted approximately sixty metres down a ravine, leaving a harrowing scene of piled bodies and agonising screams in its wake. The following day’s accounts described that “the truck lay at the bottom of the Barranquera, with only cries for help and groans of pain from the unfortunate victims heard… due to the steep terrain, the injured had to be transported to the road using ropes, improvising stretchers… Over thirty vehicles converged on the scene, with their occupants assisting in the task of rescuing the numerous injured who were taken to the Hospital de La Orotava.”
A bystander recounted that upon reaching the ravine’s bottom, “none of the injured could move on their own, and they all seemed to be severely wounded. From the chaotic tangle of twisted metal, heart-wrenching shouts emerged. Many of the victims had been trapped among the wreckage of the truck.”
The individuals occupying the cabin, along with three young souls who were thrown from it, bore the brunt of the impact. They died instantly: Ojeda García, aged 19; José Manuel Luis Abreu, 24; and young Gregorio Correa Ceballos, aged 12. Moments later, Lucio Díaz González, 68 – the truck’s driver – and Manuel Hernández, 23, succumbed to their injuries. The remaining forty passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries. Several had severe wounds, including Jaime Carrillo, Santiago García, and Margarita Jordán, with perhaps the most critical being Félix Padrón García (FIFO), who managed to survive but was left with a disfigured face. José González Estévez suffered a severe injury to his leg and was the last to be discharged from the hospital, six months post-accident, having undergone 14 surgeries thereafter.
Notably, on the day of the tragedy, a large group of doctors from the island had also embarked on an excursion to Teide. Fate brought them close to the site of the disaster, allowing them to provide immediate medical assistance. Among them were José Pérez, Tomás Bencomo, and Celestino Cobiella, all of whom were recognised and cried for by the injured. In the initial moments, the prompt response from the nearby Civil Guard and a group of mountain guides from the Youth Front of Santa Cruz, who were also on an excursion in Las Cañadas, proved invaluable.
The injured were first treated at the Civil Guard station and then gradually transferred to the Hospital de La Orotava. News of the accident spread rapidly. The La Orotava Valley and the entire island were left reeling from the shock. Hundreds of people flocked to the area. In Puerto de la Cruz, the Iriarte circle cancelled a dance event that had been scheduled. Many other local activities were similarly halted, with some shops closing in response to the tragedy.
The interment of the five victims took place the following day, on Monday the 10th. Initially, the coffins were transported on foot from the Hospital de la Trinidad to the Plaza de la Paz, situated at the entrance of La Orotava, accompanied by the Municipality of Music band. A truck subsequently conveyed them to the port of La Cruz, where they arrived at eight in the evening. A multitude of thousands of individuals accompanied them on foot through the streets of Blanco and San Felipe, leading to the Portuense cemetery. They were laid to rest by ten o’clock at night. The writer and chronicler of Puerto de la Cruz, Melecio Hernández, bore witness to this unforgettable scene, despite being only eleven years old at the time. He later recounted to Diario de Avisos in 1997: “It was remarkable to observe that multitude accompanying the five coffins, in silence as nightfall set in, while Carmen and María Luisa García performed a piece on the violin for the assembly.”
The majority of the island’s top officials were in attendance at the funeral, ranging from the civil governor and provincial head of the movement to the vicar capitular of the diocese. Almost the entirety of the populations from Puerto de la Cruz and La Orotava turned out to pay their last respects to the five victims. As noted by the local press, “the funeral represented a significant display of mourning.”
Some survivors of the incident were left with physical after-effects, but the overwhelming majority struggled to recover from the psychological trauma. María Llanos revealed to the newspaper that she had resorted to wearing “a sort of bandage over her eyes to never recall the event.” José González was unable to shake off the harrowing feeling of emptiness he experienced when the truck plummeted to the base of the ravine. He, like many survivors, dealt with claustrophobia and a fear of crowds. Marina Acosta, the only passenger who escaped without injury, took over twenty years to return to the ravines. Her sister Victoria could never tolerate the scent of whisky, which had been used to treat her wounds since there was enough alcohol available for all the injured.
Victoria Acosta was profoundly affected by the calamity, as her boyfriend, Manuel, was among the deceased. “It was an incredibly harsh blow. That day, I lost my will to live,” she revealed to the newspaper. She will always recall the precise time of the tragedy: her watch had stopped at twelve ten.
Another survivor, Adelaida Rlbal, managed to recover from a spinal deformity. Her cheerful disposition aided her in rebuilding her life following the tragedy. She wished to forget and avoid mentioning the incident, but saved a photograph of the truck wreckage at the bottom of the ravine within the pages of her prayer book. That fateful excursion on February 9, 1947, turned out to be the final trip organised by the group of friends from the Iriarte circle.
Last Survivor
María Llanos Abreu, hailing from Icod El Alto (Los Realejos) and a widow of Antonio García Pérez, mother to four children—Salvador, María de los Ángeles, José, and Antonia María—nears her one hundredth birthday. She is the final remaining survivor of that ravine accident, which continues to imbue her with profound sadness. María was seated in one of the unrestrained trucks.
She recalls the Jordan sisters, Margarita and Adelaida, with whom she shared a close friendship and who also travelled in the vehicle. “Everything transpired very swiftly. I’m not certain why, but Don Pepe Pérez appeared (the brother of who would later become my mother-in-law), along with Don Celestino Cobiella, who were beloved doctors in our community. Upon returning home, I was severely bruised, overwhelmed with tears and despair, surrounded by my parents and brothers. They informed me that there were five fatalities. I was both shocked and frightened, unable to articulate my feelings,” Maria Llanos recounted these painful memories, seventy-eight years after the disaster.
