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British woman dies after 1,600ft fall during hike in Spain
The 42-year-old fell from Balaitus Peak in the Pyrenees while hiking popular route with her partner
A British woman has died after falling around 1,600ft during a hike in Spain’s Pyrenees mountains, in an accident that happened in front of her partner.
The 42-year-old was walking along the slopes of Balaitus Peak in the Huesca region when the tragedy unfolded while the couple were crossing a well-known hiking route called the Great Diagonal.
Spanish police sources confirmed the woman was a British national who was born in the UK but lived in Finland. Her 53-year-old partner was not injured in the incident.
The alarm was raised at around 7.30pm on Saturday May 30 after emergency services were alerted to the fall in the mountain area near the French border.
A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil confirmed that “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.”
According to one source familiar with the early stages of the investigation, weather conditions on the day of the hike were good, although it is believed the woman may have slipped on snow while descending the mountain.
Balaitus Peak stands at around 10,277ft and is a popular but demanding route for experienced hikers. It sits on the border between Spain and France, separating the Spanish Tena Valley from the French Val d’Azun.
The incident has added to concerns about mountain safety in Spain’s popular hiking regions, particularly in high-altitude areas where conditions can change quickly even when the weather appears stable at lower levels.
Last month, another British mountaineer died in Spain after making an emergency call for help. The 61-year-old told rescuers he was “lost and exhausted” shortly before he was found in the Moeno canal in the Picos de Europa mountain range in northern Spain.
In a separate incident in April, two people were killed after being struck by falling rocks while climbing in Montserrat, around 30 miles north-west of Barcelona. The pair were part of a group of seven climbers and later died in hospital following the accident.
Image: All Trails
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