Costa del Sol Hotel Blast Injures British Holidaymakers

On Monday, 4 British holidaymakers were injured when an outside water pipe at Costa del Sol’s Hotel Globales Cortijo Blanco exploded. There were hundreds of travelers from the UK staying at the hotel when the incident happened at about 10am (local time).

One of the British travelers, 53-year-old Carol Gardener, was serious injured by the blast while passing the 3-star property. She was taken to a nearby hospital but later transferred to the Carlos Haya Regional University Hospital. A spokeswoman said that she was admitted in very serious condition and was hooked up to an artificial ventilator. She suffered from burns and is injured badly, she added.

However, Carol wasn’t walking alone. She was holidaying with her husband, sister, Julie Loud, and brother-in-law, Andrew. They were all staying at the hotel and walking about 15ft away when the side of the building flew off.

Andrew says that Carol is in a coma with a fractured skull, severe lacerations all over her and 30% burns down one of her sides. She had brain surgery during the night, and they are waiting to hear from the doctors. Julie, he continued, suffered severe lacerations to her legs.

Andrew also described that the devastation was as if a bomb had gone off, and Carol and Julie took most of the impact, while he and Carol’s husband were about 5 yards in front of them, escaping unscathed. There was about 30 seconds of mayhem, he continued, but when the dust settled, they could see rubble and bodies all over. A lot of people ran towards them to help, he added.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has confirmed that the 4 British holidaymakers were injured by the explosion and one was seriously injured. All have received treatment from the hospital, she added, and they are providing consular assistance.