Archive news articles

24/07/03

•   A lorry driver lost his life last Wednesday following a traffic accident in which his vehicle left the road and fell to the bottom of a barranco.  The accident took place on the TF-12 which crosses the Mercedes mountain range, north of Santa Cruz, between San Andrés and Taganana.    He lost control of his lorry, which fell some 50 metres, somersaulting to the bottom of the barranco.  The 24 year-old driver was found in a grave condition by emergency services, who took him to the Candelaria Hospital.  He died several hours later.

•   The Canary Islands´ airline, Binter, last Monday began to apply the price increases which had been approved by the Ministry of Development in June.  The price increases vary according to the route, from 6 to 11%.  The biggest increase, of 11.2%,  has been applied to the Tenerife to Gran Canaria flights, while the lowest increase, of 6.68%, relates to the Tenerife-Lanzarote link.  These rises are above the rate of increase in the consumer price index, and are said to have been brought about by increased insurance premiums.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Secretary General of the Canarian Socialist Party has branded the increases as "scandalous and unjustified", stating that the highest of these price rises is three times this year´s consumer price index, and suggests that if they are due to increased insurance premiums, this rise should be borne by the State.  He added that the islanders should be told why it costs more to travel between Lanzarote and El Hierro, than between the Canaries and the UK.