A British man has been killed after falling at the notorious “Devil’s Pass” mountain in northern Spain.
The 25-year-old was staying in a hotel in Eibar, a city in the province of Gipuzkoa, with a friend and mountaineering in the Basque Country, as reported by El Correo.
He reportedly became seperated from his climbing partner and continued on his own to navigate the limestone mountain crest of Anboto on Thursday afternoon in stormy conditions.
It is suspected that dire conditions caused the unnamed climber to fall as he attempted to navigate the exposed route, which is known for being difficult to climb in wet weather.
Emergency services were scrambled to find the young man and a search took place overnight to locate him that included helicopters, rescue dogs and the Red Cross.
His body was recovered by the Ertzaintza Surveillance and Rescue Unit, with the assistance of a helicopter on Friday. It is understood the man was a tourist on holiday.
A spokesperson for the Ertzaintza police force said: “Emergency services have located the lifeless body of the mountaineer who we had been searching for since Thursday evening.
“The alarm was raised around 8.30pm, saying the 25-year-old had gone missing near to the Alluitz mountain summit.
“A police helicopter found his body in a place called the canal de Infernu Zubi, near to the Alluitz peak, where it appears he could have suffered a fall.”
The Devil’s Pass - Paso del Diablo in Spanish - is an area between Mount Alliutz and Amboto that is notoriously difficult for even the most experienced climbers and has previously caused fatalities.
Julen Fernández Etxebarria, president of the Tabira Alpine Club in Durango, told El Correo the mountain is still popular with hikers despite frequent slips on the treacherous limestone.
