A female British hiker has been found dead and her British partner is still missing after they were reportedly swept away by water and disappeared when a storm hit the mountains in Majorca.
The 26-year-old woman was found after 10 people were trapped by flash floods near the Torrent de Pareis, a river in the Tramuntana mountain range on Majorca’s northwest coast.
Local media reported the her and the missing man, 32, were part of a larger group of five that had ventured out on the hike on Tuesday afternoon as the storm hit.
Three managed to reach the safety of a mountain hut just after midnight on Wednesday morning, with one of them reportedly being ‘slightly hurt’.
The rescued tourists told rescuers that the British man and woman had been swept away by water and disappeared on Tuesday afternoon, causing the Civil Guard to launch the search, according to local media.
Police helicopter search team today scouring the area for the missing British hiker
The area where the British hikers disappeared was affected by flash flooding (pictured above) on Tuesday
The Civil Guard said it rescued 10 hikers from several different groups, including those hiking with the woman found dead and the man still missing, who were trapped near the Torrent de Pareis yesterday.
Late this morning the Civil Guard offered more details of the horror discovery and the drama that led to 10 people being trapped following storms and heavy rain.
The force said in its first statement on the tragedy: ‘The Civil Guard yesterday rescued 10 people who were trapped in the Torrent de Pareis by a torrent of water.
‘Our Greim unit established an operation throughout the day there to prevent possible accidents involving hikers who were in the area given the forecast of heavy rain.
‘Given the experiences of previous years, when many visitors ignore weather conditions and end up getting trapped by high water, the decision was taken to establish precautionary measures.
‘Thanks to this operation, and with the help of a Civil Guard helicopter, officers were able to save the lives of 10 people who were trapped, without protective clothing, and completely soaked. They were transferred to safety using guides to assist them.
‘Once they reached a safe spot the rescued walkers, two Spaniards and the rest French, German and British, told us two members of a group of five who were among those assisted had been swept away by a torrent of water and they had been unable to do anything to save them and didn’t know where they were.
The two British hikers went missing during a storm and are believed to have been caught in heavy rain, which caused severe flooding in parts of the island. Pictured: the Civil Guard at the scene in the Tramuntana mountain range)
‘A separate search and rescue operation was mobilised until nightfall which began again today with assistance from firefighters. That operation had so far led to the discovery of the body.’
Well-placed sources said the body of the woman – which rescuers at first believed to be that of the missing 32-year-old man – had been spotted by the Civil Guard helicopter. It was located near the spot where the search was focused but it is not yet clear if it has already been recovered by officers on the ground.
A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre added: ‘The body of one of the missing tourists has been found.
‘Police and firefighters are continuing the search for the second. Psychologists have been activated to assist relatives.’
The operation to try to find the other missing Briton has since been suspended until a storm in the area abates. ‘It will be reinitiated once the storm passes,’ the Civil Guard said.
Police have been trying to establish the man’s whereabouts by triangulating his mobile phone.
Footage from the Civil Guard shows its helicopter flying over the search area near the Torrent de Pareis
The Torrent de Pareis is a riverbed that can be hiked during the dry months but is often affected by flash floods as it collects a large amount of rainwater that falls on the mountain and funnels it down this narrow valley
The 32-year-old British national was found near the spot where police had begun their search near the Torrent de Pareis, a river in the Tramuntana mountain range on Majorca’s northwest coast (file image of the Tramuntana mountains)
Civil Guard officers, helicopters, firefighters and dogs are understood to be involved in the ongoing operation.
It was not clear whether the British man and woman were trying to walk the famous trek though the Torrent de Pareis in the Tramuntana mountain range or were simply strolling near the river bed.
The torrent is a riverbed that can be hiked during the dry months but is often affected by flash floods as it collects a large amount of rainwater that falls on the mountain and funnels it down this narrow valley.
The heavy rains that hit Mallorca on Tuesday left between 70 and 100 litres of water per square metre in the Serra de Tramuntana area, according to Ultima Hora.
Local weather chiefs are predicting a worsening of the weather in Majorca, saying the worst effects of the storms that first hit the island yesterday will be felt between 2pm and 3pm local time with heavy rain and winds of up to 75mph.
In Escorsa, where the mountain range is located, the Torrent de Es Raco overflowed, causing emergency teams to rescue a hundred people who had been trapped.