A British pilot has been killed alongside his wife after their car crashed through a barrier and plunged 245ft down a cliff in Gran Canaria.
The pair, named locally as Richard Addicott and Rita García Bolaños, died alongside Ivan and Marta Bolaños, who were Rita’s father and sister.
It is thought the car crashed off a road in bad weather some time between 9pm and 10pm Tuesday, before plunging 245ft off a cliff.
The scene was not discovered until the following day when a motorway worker noticed roadside barriers had been damaged and spotted the wrecked car.
Richard Addicott, a British captain for Norwegian Air, was killed in a car crash on Gran Canaria on Tuesday night, local media has reported
Also killed was Richard’s wife Rita (left), along with her father Ivan and sister Marta
The group had been visiting Rita’s grandmother in Artenara on Tuesday before driving back to Las Palmas, where they lived.
Heading off into fog and rain, the group only made it around 10 minutes into their 90-minute journey before disaster struck, local paper La Nueva Espana reported.
The car left the road during a sharp right-hand turn, hit crash barriers along the left-hand side of the road, and then plunged off a cliff.
The car turned over several times as it fell down the steep embankment.
The exact cause of the crash is still being investigated, but local officials believe no other vehicle was involved.
It is not clear who was driving at the time of the accident.
The scene of the crash was not discovered until around 3.45pm the following day, when a passing motorway worker noticed damage to the crash barriers.
A British pilot, his wife, her sister and her father have died after their car plunged 245ft off a cliff in Gran Canaria (pictured, a rescue helicopter works at the scene)
Rescue workers think the car crashed through a barrier some time between 9pm and 10pm on Tuesday in bad weather, before plunging down the cliff. The wreck was only found Wednesday
He then spotted the car down in the ravine, and called emergency services who went to check whether people were trapped inside.
A short time later, it was confirmed all four occupants had been killed.
Richard and Rita lived in London where he worked as a captain for Norwegian Air, according to local reports and information on social media.
However, they often returned to Gran Canaria to visit Rita’s father Ivan and her grandmother, local newspapers report.
Marta lived in Gran Canaria where she was known as an active person who participated in local sports, and also dabbled in local politics.
Father Ivan grew up in northern Spain where he was was employed as a woodworker, before moving to Gran Canaria decades ago where he met and married wife Lucía.
The pair had three daughters – Rita, Marta and Raquel – before Lucía died from a long illness several years ago.
Raquel lives in Avilés, where her father grew up, where she runs a sports shop.
Rescue workers are still trying to recover the bodies from the bottom of the ravine, after taking them out via helicopter was deemed too risky.
Jesús Díaz, mayor of the local town of Artenara where Rita’s grandmother lived, paid tribute to the family earlier this week.
Richard’s co-workers from his old airline Ryanair also paid tribute, breaking the news via Facebook.