Spain holiday horror as Irish tourists battered by gang in late-night ambush
They were assaulted as they walked back to their hotel in the picturesque town of Nerja around 30 miles east of Malaga after a boozy night out.
Police are understood to have identified the suspects as four local youngsters believed to include a minor. It was not immediately clear this morning if the Civil Guard has made any arrests. The mugging happened in the early hours of Friday morning.
Respected local paper Sur said the culprits threatened their victims with a knife before repeatedly punching and kicking them and fleeing with stolen cash and mobile phones.
It described the attack as so "violent" remains of blood were left spattered on a residential property by where the mugging took place.
Police were alerted by local residents who heard screams and shouting.
The Irish holidaymakers, who were said to have been unable to defend themselves properly from the blows they received because they were drunk, reportedly each suffered several facial fractures among other injuries.
They were taken to a nearby health centre and are thought to have been transferred afterwards to hospital. The Civil Guard in Malaga has not yet made any official comment about the incident.
Nerja is the easternmost town on the Costa del Sol and is known for its beautiful beaches and its caves stretching for almost five kilometres which are one of Spain's major tourist attractions.
In September last year a 29-year-old Irish holidaymaker ended up in a specialist hospital burns unit after a freak accident at a friend's wedding in the resort.
She was seriously injured after being engulfed in flames when her dress caught fire on decorative candles as she was in the bathroom. Fellow guests dialled 999 after finding her semi-conscious at a holiday rental apartment.
She was initially taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Malaga where she is understood to have undergone an emergency operation before being transferred to a burns unit at Seville's Virgen del Rocio University Hospital.
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