Brit woman dies in horror 1,600ft mountain fall in front of partner
She was crossing an area called the Great Diagonal, one of the most popular and accessible climbing routes to its 3,144 metre (10,277ft) peak when she fell on Saturday evening
Tragedy struck on the Pyrenees peak known as Balaitus(Image: Getty Images/Cavan Images RF)
A British woman has died after plummeting from a mountain while trekking with her partner in northern Spain. The 42-year-old was killed after tumbling more than 500 metres (1,600ft) down the slopes of the renowned Pyrenees peak known as Balaitus, situated near the Spanish-French frontier.
She was navigating an area dubbed the Great Diagonal – one of the most favoured and accessible climbing paths to the 3,144 metre summit – when she plunged to her death on Saturday evening. The woman’s 53-year-old partner, who witnessed the incident, escaped injury.
Police sources confirmed today that the deceased woman was British-born but resided in Finland alongside the man she was with, whose nationality remains undisclosed. The alert was raised at approximately 7.20pm on Saturday.
A Civil Guard spokesperson stated: “An investigation is ongoing and a report drafted by officers will be sent to a local investigating court along with the post-mortem results. At this stage the woman’s death is being treated as a tragic accident resulting from a fall.”
Mountain rescue specialists from an elite Civil Guard unit were deployed to the location, accompanied by a helicopter which airlifted the British woman’s remains to a nearby heliport following recovery.
The victim was subsequently transported to Zaragoza’s Forensic Medicine Institute for post-mortem examination. It remained unclear today whether the autopsy had already been conducted.
A well-informed source revealed that although the weather conditions were favourable in the area where the British woman fell on Saturday, it’s believed she slipped in a snow-covered spot during her descent.
The Balaitus Peak is a granite mass situated directly on the border between Spain and France, dividing the Spanish Tena Valley from the French Val d’Azun.
It signifies the beginning of the High Pyrenees and boasts seven distinct ridges.
Just last month, a 61-year-old British hiker was discovered dead after he went missing in Spain amid adverse weather conditions.
He had informed emergency services that he was “lost and exhausted” during his final call around 7pm on May 14.
He had journeyed to the renowned Picos de Europa mountain range in northern Spain, located within the autonomous communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and Leon.
A helicopter was deployed as part of a ground and air search before his body was found on May 16.
