British family horrified as parents are mowed down and their five-month-old baby killed by British woman ‘drunk and drugged’ in Lanzarote

A British baby was killed and his parents and grandparents injured after a driver who tested positive for drink and drugs mowed down a group of holidaymakers in Lanzarote last night, officials said.

Six people were injured in the horror collision in the tourist resort of Playa Blanca, including the family of British holidaymakers and a mother and daughter from Sweden.

All of the injured remain in hospital, local officials said, and the father and grandmother of the five-month-old child who died suffered the most serious injuries.

The driver of the car that drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into them is a 23-year-old British woman who lives on the island and is not currently in custody, officials said.

Mayor Oscar Noda said the British family was “walking along the sidewalk in a proper and normal manner when they were mowed down by a vehicle that went completely out of control.”

“The moments that followed were very delicate and very traumatic,” he added.

Shocking footage of the scene showed police and paramedics desperately tackling stricken holidaymakers along the roadside, while a wrecked Ford Fiesta was seen with what appeared to be bloodstains on the bonnet.

Emergency workers arrive at the scene of the accident

Bystanders remain silent at the scene of the incident in shock

A five-month-old baby has been killed and several others injured after he was mowed down by a car that drove onto the pavement in Lanzarote’s tourist resort of Playa Blanca (pictured today)

Officers from the town hall reported: ‘The person who caused the accident is a 23-year-old woman of British descent living in Playa Blanca (photo)’

Yaiza town hall has declared two days of mourning and organized a minute’s silence.

Mayor Noda said this morning: “The accident caused seven casualties, including the five-year-old baby who died.

‘The survivors came from two families, one from Sweden and the other of British descent. They are the parents of the deceased child and the maternal grandparents of the baby.

“Those in the worst shape this morning are the baby’s father and the mother’s grandmother. All survivors are still in hospital.

“We hope they all recover.”

He added: “I am going to declare two days of mourning and tomorrow at noon there will be a minute’s silence at the doors of the town hall.

City hall officials also confirmed today that two people from Sweden, a mother and daughter, were injured, while four Britons were injured and another died.

“The boy’s mother and father are among the injured, as are the baby’s two maternal grandparents.

“The baby’s father and the baby’s grandmother are the most seriously injured.”

A spokesman for Yaiza Town Hall said the unnamed driver tested positive for both drink and drugs at the scene of the accident.

They added: “The driver is not currently in custody. She lives on the island and can be located at her address if necessary.

It was not immediately clear when she would be summoned to court.

A spokesperson previously said in a statement: ‘The investigation, led by local Yaiza police, remains open. Yaiza City Hall expresses its solidarity with the victims and their families.”

The incident happened just before 6:30 pm local time on a bend of a main road near the Aqualava water park and the four-star HL Hotel.

After the incident, the unnamed driver reportedly claimed that she had had a problem with her driving.

Witnesses told police they believed she had been going too fast, although drink and drugs were not mentioned as a possible factor until city hall officials announced her nationality and the new details in the ongoing investigation.

Her whereabouts this morning were not immediately clear, but she is expected to appear in court today or tomorrow awaiting a formal arrest.

The court hearing would take place behind closed doors, as is customary in Spain, where only trials take place in public.

An investigating magistrate would have to decide whether to take her into custody or release her on bail pending an ongoing investigation.

Island authorities are not naming her at this time and have only confirmed her nationality and age and said she resides in Playa Blanca, where the tragedy occurred.

A well-placed source said she worked in the area.

Another said: ‘She tested positive for both alcohol and drugs but police have not released details of the amounts.’

A police spokesman said: ‘We are still not in a position to release information about the nationalities and ages of the victims, but what I can say is that we are not talking about one family.

‘It is an area popular with pedestrians and it was not just one group of members of the same family who were affected. There were different groups involved.”

Ambulances were seen outside the hospital near Playa Blanca after the incident

In a full update late last night, a regional government-run emergency coordination center said of the tragedy: ‘The incident occurred at 6.22pm local time.

‘A five-month-old baby died and six people suffered various injuries.

‘While responding to the scene, an initial assessment revealed that two women had suffered serious, multiple injuries and were taken to Doctor Jose Molina Orosa Hospital in the island capital Arrecife.

‘Two other women with various moderate multiple injuries were also taken to the same hospital, along with two men who had injuries to their lower extremities.

“Seven land ambulances were sent to the scene and an air ambulance was also mobilized due to the severity of the incident, along with a doctor and nurse from the Playa Blanca Health Center.”

‘The other responders included firefighters, civil protection workers, local police and civil guards.

Flamingo beach in the holiday village of Playa Blanca on the coast of the island of Lanzarote, Spain. File image

The statement continued: ‘The first 999 calls received were regarding an incident where a car had run over several people on Archipielago Avenue at the corner of Lanzarote Street.

‘The medicalized air ambulance was sent to Lanzarote airport as one of the most seriously injured women was expected to be transferred to a hospital in Gran Canaria.

“The local police have been instructed to prepare a report on the incident.”

Last September, seven people, including two British tourists, were injured when a British holidaymaker crashed his rental car into a crowded Spanish cafe terrace on the neighboring Canary Island of Fuerteventura.

Among the victims was a four-month-old girl. The drama took place in the tourist hotspot Corralejo.

Last month, an 83-year-old British tourist died after being run over by a bus in Lanzarote.

She was taken to hospital in a ‘critical’ condition on February 21 after being hit by the vehicle in the popular resort of Costa Teguise and stabilized at the scene.

Playa Blanca, Spanish for White Beach, is the southernmost town of Lanzarote. It is approximately a 40-minute drive to the island’s airport.

The coastline around Playa Blanca is essentially one large bay 10 kilometers wide, which is then divided into three smaller, but still large, bays.