A British mountaineer, 28, died after falling about 200ft down a vertical gully on a Spanish mountain
A British man has tragically lost his life after plummeting around 200ft while making his way down from a mountain peak in northern Spain, local authorities have confirmed.
The 28-year-old climber tumbled down a sheer gully on the eastern face of Torrecerredo – the tallest summit in the Cantabrian Mountains – on Thursday afternoon, according to the Spanish Civil Guard for the Asturias region.
The fatal plunge occurred at approximately 2.20pm, Spanish emergency services reported.
A mountain rescue squad was dispatched via helicopter and located the man’s body after conducting an aerial search of the area.
Two rescue specialists were winched down to recover the climber’s remains, along with his equipment which had been strewn across the mountainside during the fall.
The tragedy unfolded as the man was making his descent from the Torrecerredo summit, roughly 65ft below the peak, the Civil Guard confirmed.
The Briton’s body was airlifted to La Morgal, a regional sports and aviation centre in Llanera close to the Asturian city of Gijon.
A Foreign Office spokesman stated: “We are in contact with the local authorities following reports of the death of a British national in Spain.”
Torrecerredo, standing at roughly 8,690ft above sea level, represents the loftiest point of the Picos de Europa mountain chain.
Sepa Asturias, the public agency responsible for emergency response across the Asturias region, confirmed it also attended a separate incident in the Jou Sin Tierre section of the mountain range on Thursday afternoon.
A 54-year-old French woman was subsequently taken to hospital after sustaining a leg injury, as reported by Sepa Asturias.