Teguise to compensate €320,000 to family of man who drowned in La Graciosa

A court has ruled that Teguise Ayuntamiento must pay €320,000 to the family of a 69-year-old man who drowned at Playa Lambra in La Graciosa in 2020.

In the ruling, Teguise Council admitted that it had provided no information about the dangerous nature of the beach and the adverse weather conditions. It was a day of “rough seas, strong wind and many waves” and no flags or signs were on show.

The Court stated that Teguise “failed to comply with the coastal law” and that the beach should have had a yellow flag, as well as signs at the entrances and in visible spaces that explain the meaning of the flags, and life savers to update the information.

Playa Lambra is a remote, little-visited beach on the northeast coast of La Graciosa. The ruling raises questions about municipal responsibility for several other wild beaches on Lanzarote and La Graciosa.