Baby dies and family seriously injured after car ploughs into pedestrians in Lanzarote

A baby has died and family members seriously injured after a car allegedly struck them while walking to their holiday complex in Lanzarote.

The family, understood to be from South Shields on South Tyneside, were enjoying a break to Playa Blanca on the south coast of the Balearic island, when shortly after 6pm on Monday 11 March, a driver allegedly mounted the pavement and struck several pedestrians.

The newborn was pronounced dead at the scene.

The parents and grandparents were also among those seriously injured, alongside two Swedish nationals. It is understood two people remain in intensive care at a hospital in the capital Arrecife.

The driver has been confirmed as a 23-year-old British woman, who has been arrested and released on bail while enquiries continue.

Court proceedings were due to start on Wednesday 13 March, but were postponed after the woman allegedly suffered a "panic attack" in the courtroom.

The woman is not in custody but has forfeited her passport to authorities and is forbidden to leave the island.

ITV Tyne Tees spoke to Gazette Life editor Shaun Addison, an English publication on Lanzarote who has been reporting on the incident.

Mr Addison said there was a "shocked silence" on the island following confirmation of the serious conditions of the family and the death of a child.

He said the area is popular with British tourists and there has been widespread sadness at the incident but psychological support and assistance was offered in the immediate aftermath to witnesses and members of the public, as well as emergency services that responded to the crash.

Local media reported the Mayor of Yaiza, Oscar Noda, declared two days of mourning in the days following the incident, with a minute’s silence in front of the Ayuntamiento building and flags flown at half mast.

Speaking to Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, the publication said Noda stated that "the images were quite chilling".

After receiving an alert about the tragedy, Noda stated: "During the call, by the tone of voice and the way he [Head of the Security and Emergency Consortium, Enrique Espinosa] spoke to me I knew that the situation looked drastic."

Noda stated that the event has shocked the whole island and that "we have not seen anything similar for a long time".

In a statement, the Foreign Office said: "We are supporting several British nationals following an incident in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."

ITV News Tyne Tees has contacted police in Playa Blanca who said the incident is one of an extremely sensitive nature but further details will be released in due course.

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