- A British adventurer perished during a tempest on Mallorca.
A severe storm caused the death of a British hiker in Mallorca. The body of a 32-year-old man was found in the vicinity of the Torrent de Pareis gorge in the north of the Spanish island, as announced by the Civil Guard police unit. He was among a group of twelve hikers, including a German, a French individual, more Britons, and Spaniards, who were taken by surprise by surging floodwaters the previous day. A female hiker, also British, is currently missing and being searched for.
Ten individuals were successfully rescued by helicopter and rope just prior to nightfall on Tuesday. They had been trapped by the rising floodwaters and were reportedly "devoid of warm clothing and completely soaked." Their lives were miraculously spared.
An awe-inspiring yet hazardous expedition
The nearly 3-kilometer-long Torrent de Pareis, boasting a height difference of 180 meters, is nestled in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, a renowned hiking region that includes Mallorca's highest peak, Puig Major (1445 meters). The walls of this gorge soar up to 200 meters high in certain places. The trek through the torrent is considered one of the most breathtaking on the Balearic Islands, but it is also testing. It's strongly advised not to underestimate the climb or descent over giant rocks.
The inclement weather front with heavy rainfall and thunderstorms led to delays of up to two hours at Palma Airport on Tuesday. There were several floods, and some roads were temporarily closed. Despite it being a brief yet intense rainstorm, accompanied by strong gusts of wind, 90 liters of rain fell per square meter within a short period.
Orange alert for Wednesday
On Wednesday, weather conditions were predicted to worsen. The weather service Aemet issued the second-highest warning level, orange, for all Balearic Islands (and also for large parts of the Spanish Mediterranean coast) until 6:00 PM - this is not uncommon. Among other things, storm gusts with wind speeds exceeding 120 kilometers per hour were forecast. However, in the morning, the sun shone on Mallorca, and almost the entire Spanish Mediterranean region experienced no flight delays. No warnings are expected for Thursday.
In the midst of the severe weather conditions, an emergency helipad was rapidly erected at the scene to facilitate the rescue operations. With the threat of further emergencies due to the forecasted worsening weather, extra emergency response teams were deployed to the area.
