Spanish Emergency Services Praised for 30-Hour Tenerife Tourist Rescue

Spanish emergency services are being praised internationally after rescuing a 76-year-old British tourist in Tenerife's Anaga Rural Park. British newspapers like The Mirror and Daily Mail highlighted the 30-hour operation, commending the professionalism of the Canary Islands teams in a very difficult landscape.

The incident began last Friday when Susan Hornby, a retired woman from Dorset, got lost while hiking in the Chamorga area. She had set off on a walk towards Las Palmas de Anaga, while her husband, Peter, drove to Benijo, their planned meeting spot within three hours. Around midday, Mrs. Hornby emailed that she needed medical help, and contact was lost soon after.

Peter Hornby raised the alarm at 4:30 PM on Friday when he couldn't find his wife at their meeting point and called 112. A large search operation quickly started, involving firefighters, Civil Protection, various police forces, and the Canary Islands Government's Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) helicopter. The Anaga Rural Park, a protected area with steep ravines and thick plants, made the search very challenging. Efforts focused on the route between Casas de Tafada and Las Palmas de Anaga.

The search was paused on Friday night and restarted at dawn on Saturday. A key meeting took place at the National Police Station with Mrs. Hornby's husband, who provided important information to narrow down the search area. Meanwhile, Susan Hornby's daughter-in-law, Louise Bakewell, posted an appeal on social media, describing what Mrs. Hornby was wearing and regretting that the 'Find My iPhone' feature hadn't been activated on her phone, which could have helped greatly. Juana Pérez, owner of Casa Álvaro bar in Chamorga, who had served the couple before their hike, also helped the rescue teams with logistics.

After nearly a day and a half of intense searching, the GES helicopter finally found and rescued Susan Hornby in a ravine. She was taken to the University Hospital of the Canary Islands (HUC) for medical care, but she was no longer at the hospital the next day. Through Louise Bakewell, the family thanked the rescue teams deeply. They stressed how important mobile phone location features are to prevent similar situations and said their "faith in humanity" had been restored by the dedication shown.