Brits stranded on minibus as ‘state of emergency’ declared in popular holiday destination

A group of British tourists were caught up in the chaos of the 'storm of the century' that is currently wreaking havoc across the Canary Islands.

The holiday hotspot has been battered by torrential rain and powerful winds over the last several days, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency.

Storm Therese has caused chaos since last Wednesday (18 March) - leaving residents stranded, dams bursting, roads collapsing, and forcing the cancellation of various flights.

People living on the islands have been told to take 'maximum caution and responsibility' and to 'avoid unnecessary travel'.

According to Spanish news outlet El Pais, Gran Canaria remains in a state of emergency, as the island was drenched by a bout of heavy rainfall on Tuesday (24 March) night.

This dramatic downpour led to authorities issuing a red alert, with the government warning that the current weather conditions are 'extraordinarily dangerous'.

Gran Canaria was one of the many areas in the Canaries which has been battered by heavy rainfall (Europa Press Canarias via Getty Images)

The President of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, warned: "We are facing historic circumstances in terms of the volume of rainfall and its impact on the island."

Officials said that Storm Therese has unleashed more than 700litres per square metre across the Canaries.

The technical director of the Island Council's Emergency Services, Federico Grillo, also added: "No one anywhere on the planet could have foreseen something like this."

A number of Brits found themselves at the centre of the weather chaos in the Canaries last night, as dramatic images captured five UK nationals escaping a waterlogged minibus.

One person was seen climbing out onto the roof of the drowning vehicle that had become trapped in a tunnel - which was continuing to fill with floodwater - and shouted in desperation: "Can someone get us help?!"

One of the tourists was seen on top of the drowning minibus waving for help (SOLARPIX)

The minibus is believed to have been carrying five tourists, all of whom are believed to hail from the UK.

While travelling through Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife at around 9pm on Tuesday evening, the rising floodwater forced the vehicle to come to a standstill.

The panicked passengers inside eventually decided to escape through the sun roof, as one woman was seen frantically waving her arms while shouting: "Help, help!"

Admirably, the driver of the minibus helped three of the holidaymakers to safety. Two other female passengers were rescued by firefighters, who had to lower a ladder down to them from the bridge above.

Miraculously, all of the tourists on board the minibus escaped unharmed and even appeared to have somehow hoisted their luggage onto the roof of the minibus too.

Firefighters also assisted in the rescue which took place on Tuesday night (SOLARPIX)

While all this was unfolding in Puerto de la Cruz, people across Gran Canaria received a 'rare' emergency warning alert in regards to the the imminent flooding risk that Storm Therese posed.

Those in Santa Cruz, a city in Tenerife, as well as in areas such as La Orotava, Los Realejos and Puerto de La Cruz, received an alert on their mobile phones about the dangers.

The alert came into force at 8pm local time last night and was set to remain active until midnight.

Spanish weather agency Aemet - AKA, their version of the Met Office - warned holidaymakers and locals to expect intense gusts of winds, poor visibility and torrential rain.