British climber, 24, found dead in the Picos de Europa
British climber, 24, found dead in the Picos de Europa
A BRITISH mountaineer and climbing instructor has been found dead nearly a week after he disappeared in the Picos de Europa mountain range in the northern region of Cantabria.
The unnamed 24-year-old was found down a hole some 10 or 12 metres deep in the rocks in the Canalona area, near the hamlet of Peña Vieja at around 16.00hrs on Tuesday this week.
Rescuers firstly stumbled upon the deceased's rucksack, which led them to his body.
He went missing on Wednesday, July 17 after having started the climb of the 2,000-metre-high peaks on the Cantabria-Asturias regional border from Peña Vieja with a group of other British mountaineers.
The party decided to give up and turn back before they reached the Canalona hill, but the missing man wanted to carry on the climb alone.
He was due to have returned the same afternoon to meet up with the rest of the group and, when he did not arrive, they called the Guardia Civil which sent out their Mountain Rescue Squad (GREIM).
They combed the area by land and air for six days before they found the climber's body.
He has not been formally identified and it is not known whether the British embassy in Spain has informed his family in England.
Neither has it been confirmed whether he lived in Spain, or whether he was on holiday there.
