A British female hiker was found dead, and a man is missing in northern Mallorca due to torrential rains drenching the Spanish island since the beginning of the week, emergency services reported on Wednesday.
The two hikers had been missing since Monday evening in a mountainous area of Mallorca, the main island of the Balearic Islands. The area is home to a canyon known as Torrent de Pareis, which descends into the Mediterranean Sea.
“One of the hikers has been found dead. The Mallorcan Civil Guard and firefighters are continuing their search for the other missing person,” the rescue services announced on social media network X on Wednesday morning.
“The body found is that of a woman, and the missing person is a man,” the Civil Guard clarified in a brief message sent to journalists.
Juan Carlos Rodriguez, head of the mountain group of the Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands, said ten people who had been hiking in the Torrent de Pareis canyon had been rescued.
“They were the ones who told us they had seen two people carried away by the storm,” Rodriguez told reporters, adding that some of those rescued were found wearing “trainers and shorts.”
Search efforts for the missing hiker that had been interrupted due to poor weather conditions resumed on Wednesday afternoon but were limited to ground operations, according to the Civil Guard.
The islands' authorities urged caution in the area due to the “very intense storms.” They encouraged residents, on social media network X on Tuesday, to “avoid outdoor activities such as beach, hiking, and water sports.”
