Imogen Calderwood
A WAVE has dragged holiday-makers into the sea on the Spanish island of Tenerife, causing the deaths of two British women.
The two women were reportedly ‘swept into the sea’ at Playa Paraiso, on the south west of the island, on Sunday.
Two children aged 14 and 10, and a 38-year-old woman were also caught by the wave, but were pulled from the sea by a rescue team.
The women, who local police say were related, have been named as Uma Ramalingam, 42, and Barathi Ruvikumar.
A Guardia Civil spokesperson said: “It appears that two women were dragged into the sea by a wave yesterday, at around 6pm.
“We can confirm that both were British and both were relatives, although we are not certain how they were related at the moment,” she added.
It has been confirmed that Ramalingam was a consultant obstetrician at Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester, in the UK.
Olubusola Amu, of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Uma, who had been working for the trust for about six years.
“She was a fantastic doctor who brought a lot of hope to the high-risk women attending the women and children’s unit.
“This is a terrible shock to everyone who knew Uma. Our thoughts are with her family at this sad time. She will be sorely missed.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed the deaths, saying: “We are in touch with the authorities and are providing consular assistance with the families.”
