Cliff plunge car finally removed from Benalmádena beach after three-month delay, in pictures

Benalmádena town hall has removed a car which had been stranded on a beach in the town for three months, following a road traffic accident.

The council was forced to take action after repeated calls by the Local Police urging the vehicle owner to remove it from the beach in the Torremuelle area failed. The first notification was sent on 4 July and the latest one on 29 August.

After the refusal of the vehicle owner and the insurer to remove it, the council undertook the process on Monday. It involved a large crane, which was placed in the central reservation of Avenida Antonio Machado and from there, it moved the car from the beach, some 50 metres further down to the road. Traffic headed towards Malaga along the thoroughfare was cut off for 30 minutes during the process.

The car ended up stranded on the beach on 4 July following an accident where it collided with another vehicle before plunging off a 50-metre-high cliff. It landed on the rocks by the shore, with its roof in the water.

There was only one person inside who survived mainly thanks to a diver who was swimming at the time of the incident and helped the driver to safety. Over time, sea currents pushed the car towards the sand where it ended up in a small cove located between the beaches of La Perla and Torremuelle. There is no direct access to the area.

Since 4 July, none of the parties involved in the accident have made any attempt to remove the vehicle. The council will now pass the cost to remove the vehicle onto the responsible party.