Man dies after being sliced & trapped by pleasure boat propellers off Canary Island holiday hotspot in front of friend

NewsWorld News A MAN has tragically died after being sliced by boat propellers off a Canary Island holiday hotspot in front of a horrified friend. The victim, in his 60s, was on a fishing trip with his lifelong pal when he was mangled by the propeller. The Spanish man was killed after plunging into the water and becoming entangled in the spinning blades of the boat near Puntagorda, on the west coast of La Palma. His close friend, who was piloting the boat, watched in horror as he became trapped beneath the vessel. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Rescue teams battled for hours to recover the victim’s shredded body, which was wedged in the deadly blades of the propeller. The skipper was left severely traumatised by the shocking accident and needed medical treatment after suffering an anxiety attack. The pair had travelled out to their favourite fishing spot. The victim, who lived in Los Llanos de Aridane, and the skipper, from Puntagorda, were described as lifelong friends who had shared hundreds of days on the water. Emergency crews were scrambled after the 112 emergency centre received a terrifying alert about a person suffering serious injuries from a boat propeller. A rescue operation involving firefighters, the Civil Guard, health workers and an emergency helicopter was launched after the freak accident. Most read in The Sun Firefighters from La Laguna park were forced to carry out a dangerous underwater dive using specialist equipment to free the trapped body. The vessel was later towed back to the Port of Tazacorte as investigators launched a probe into the fatal impact. Civil Guard officers from the Judicial Police Team in Los Llanos de Aridane are now probing the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Experts from the force’s Criminalistics Laboratory are also assisting with the probe into the fatal accident. Investigators are examining the position of both the victim and the boat at the moment he fell into the water and was struck by the propellers. The horror unfolded in a remote stretch of coastline between Porís de Tijarafe and El Puerto de Puntagorda, an area surrounded by cliffs and only accessible by sea. The area is popular with recreational sailors based at Tazacorte, who often travel to nearby beauty spots including Cueva Bonita and El Porís de Tijarafe. Puntagorda mayor Vicente Rodríguez Lorenzo described the incident as “an absolute tragedy” involving two men who had spent decades sharing fishing trips and memories together.