Walter Finch
RESCUE teams have resumed the search this Thursday morning for a British hiker, 32, who was swept away by a surging river on Tuesday night.
Thirty six hours have now passed since a group of hikers reported a British couple missing in Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana mountain range following a severe storm that battered the island.
The body of the missing hiker’s girlfriend, 26, also British, was found in Sa Calobra just 200 metres from where rescue teams started the search.
A team of specialist divers from the Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS) have now joined the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (GREIM) in scouring the rugged terrain for the missing man.
A group of 10 hikers who managed to get rescued — two Spaniards, along with French, German, and British nationals — said that the British couple had been swept away in Torrent de Pareis, Escorca.
According to reports, a sudden torrential surge in the river caught the woman unawares and snatched her away, with the man suffering a similar fate when trying to save her.
Efforts were being made to triangulate the missing hiker’s position using his mobile phone signal, while rescuers remain positive that there’s every chance the man could be found alive and well.
But Mallorca firefighters have admitted that the search has been ‘complicated’ by rapidly moving murky waters that have dredged up a lot of dirt and mud, affecting visibility.
Communication between rescue teams is also hampered by the mountainous terrain in which they are searching.
The 10 rescued tourists have been staying at the Son Amer refuge. Two were brought back in a state of shock, while a third was treated at a clinic but is not in danger.
They were located by helicopter, stranded by the flood waters, completely soaked through in the beating rain and without any warm clothing.
The storm, which caused the Torrent de Es Racó to overflow in Escorca, led to a major rescue operation.
The Guardia Civil had set up a special rescue operation, anticipating that hikers might get in trouble with torrential flood waters.
Previous experience taught them that hikers might attempt to access the scenic Torrent de Pareis river despite the weather alerts.
Five people have died since 2017 while hiking in the rocky gorges and ravines of Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana.
The region has become notorious for unexpected torrential surges that have been known to sweep away unprepared tourists.
