Town hall and businesses form "common front" in wake of Los Gigantes landslide.

Santiago del Teide, November 10 2009

LOCAL politicians and businesspeople announced a “common front” for the protection of Los Guíos beach in Los Gigantes – site of the recent fatal landslide – on November 10.

by James Tweedie

Santiago del Teide business and commercial association ASEMTEIDE, representatives of the hotel industry and spokesmen for the Canarian Coalition (CC), People’s Party (PP) Socialist Party (PSC-PSOE) and the smaller nationalist Centro Canario party met with the council on Tuesday November 9.

The meeting dicussed responses to the landslide which killed 57-year old British tourist Marion O'Hara and 34-year old Canarian hotel worker Maria Vanesa Arias Romera on Los Guíos beach on Sunday November 1.

The meeting approved urgent work to secure the cliffs above the tiny beach and the short street leading to it as quickly as possible to normalise the town´s “business environment.”

Los Gigantes marina, a hotel and several shops and restaurants are located beside the beach and beneath the famous half-mile high cliffs after which the town is named – said to be the second highest in the world.

Controversy arose between the council and the federal government following the tragedy when it was revealed that planned works to make the cliffs safe had been cancelled for lack of money.

Santiago mayor Juan Damián Gorrín blamed Madrid for refusing to provide funding, but federal representative to the region José Antonio Batista said that the application for funding had lack the necessary “guarantees.”

A statement by Santiago del Teide council said: “Los Guíos beach is vitally necessary to the tourist area of Santiago del Teide, upon which many jobs depend.

“Therefore the speed of this work is a priority for all the economic and political agencies of the municipality.”

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