Sunbathers on a Spanish beach popular with tourists had to run for their lives when a small plane attempted an emergency landing.

The three-seater aircraft spewed debris across the sands when it crashed onto the Las Teresitas beach in Tenerife shortly before 1pm on Tuesday.

A woman and a 14-year-old girl managed to walk away from the wreckage with slight injuries, but the pilot, freed by firefighters, suffered more serious injuries.

The trio, of French and Belgian nationality, are recovering in the Hospital of La Candelaria, according to local newspaper La Vanguardia.

A section of the beach was out of bounds while fuel was cleared away @PoliciaLocalSC (Ss)

The plane, which was reportedly travelling from Tenerife Norte airport to Morocco, suffered technical problems – according to the Santa Cruz mayor Jose Manuel Bermúdez.

The mayor said it was “a miracle” that no one on the beach was injured and that it was down either to the pilot’s skill or luck that it was not more serious.