TENE-GRIEF
WAVES smashing into the coast of Tenerife during the weekend were so powerful they generated tell-tale signs of an earthquake.
Towering 40ft waves slammed the Spanish island on Saturday night and seismic shocks were recorded by the measuring devices of the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute.
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Dozens of residents and holiday-makers were evacuated from their homes and more than 12 restaurants, bars and shops were left decimated, Diario De Avisos reports.
Clean-up efforts today faced being hampered by waves of up to 16ft, as a yellow alert for high seas remained in place for most of the island.
Similar bad weather is forecast for the coming hours.
This is perhaps bad news for Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, who is on the island filming Rambo 5.
Beating waves in powerful storm in Tenerife leave a seismic footprint that has been registered by measuring devices of the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands
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Some older residents believe the force of the weekend's storm was even greater than the one in 1987, where two people lost their lives.
In a quiet village in Mesa del Mar, 65 homes were evacuated after the towering waves blasted an apartment block, smashing into seafront balconies.
One resident filmed the astonishing scenes in Tacoronte, crying: "The waves just took the balconies away!"
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Tourist destination Garachico on the north west of the island was worst hit, with 39 people evacuated from two buildings.
It took firefighters two hours to crack through walls to rescue some of those left in one building, but all were successfully freed.
Twenty miles further west in Puerto de la Cruz, a Swedish pensioner was washed into the sea off a jetty but was rescued, and is currently being treated in hospital for leg and head injuries.
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Playa Hotel catches fire after lightning strike during storms
The aftermath was described by Diario as something from a "war scene, fortunately without victims".
Restaurant windows were smashed and two cars were swept out to sea as severe floods wreaked havoc on the island.
Traffic signs, street lamps, tree and fallen walls littered the streets while a playground, football field and swimming pool.
Police also shut down a street in a busy tourist area amid fears of looting, Diario reports.
Dramatic moment giant 40ft waves destroy Tenerife apartment balconies as fierce storms batter Canary Islands
The orange alert in Tenerife has now been downgraded, but huge waves continued to batter the island's northern coasts.
Scattered showers are set to continue today in the western islands, while heavier rain will blast northern parts, according to Spain's forecaster AEMET.
Rain is then set to return on Wednesday and persist until the end of the week.
The Mayor of Garachico, José Heriberto González, said it would take the town "many months to recover".
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He has requested that the area be designated a "catastrophe zone" so that repairs can be started as soon as possible.
Displaced residents will remain evicted until at least tomorrow and they are being put up in temporary accommodation.
Twenty town halls in the region, including the Costa Blanca holiday resorts of Javea and Denia, have announced schools will be shut today because of the severe weather alert.
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