Tragedy on Mallorca

Group of hikers surprised by storm: two dead

Divers searched the gorge for the missing man. Only his body was recovered on Friday.(Bild: Guàrdia Civil)

On Tuesday, a group of twelve hikers were caught in a severe storm in the north of Mallorca. Since Friday, it has been a sad certainty: two of them died in the floods.

A young British woman (26) died when she was swept away by the floods in the Torrent de Pareis ravine. Her body had already been found and recovered on Wednesday.

A missing man (32) was finally found dead on Friday. He was the dead woman's boyfriend, who had tried to rescue her from the water on Tuesday.

The Spanish police announced on Friday that the search teams had "found the lifeless body of a young man".

A feverish search for the man had been underway since the severe storm: helpers tried to spot him from the air using a helicopter. On Thursday evening, a depressing discovery was made: according to the authorities, the man's trousers and a shoe were floating in the river.

A helicopter was deployed to search. Ten people were rescued from the air.(Bild: Guàrdia Civil)

Ten people rescued by helicopter
According to official information, the couple was part of two groups of twelve hikers who got into difficulties during the storm. Ten men and women, including a German, were rescued by emergency services using a helicopter on Tuesday. According to the police, they had been trapped by rising waters. They were also "without warm clothing and completely soaked", they said.

3.3 kilometer long gorge
The 3.3-kilometre-long Torrent de Pareis gorge is located in the Serra da Tramuntana mountains. The walls rise up to 200 meters. The hike through is considered one of the most spectacular tours on the Balearic Islands. But it is also demanding. People are warned not to underestimate the ascent or descent over huge boulders.