Body of missing British hiker found in Picos de Europa after major search effort
61-year-old located near last known position after calling for help while lost and exhausted
The body of a 61-year-old British mountaineer who went missing in northern Spain has been found in the Picos de Europa National Park, close to where he was last known to be.Emergency services confirmed the discovery in the Canal de Moeño area, within the municipality of Posada de Valdeón in León. According to the 112 Emergency Centre of Castilla y León, the man was located in the same area where he had earlier reported being disoriented.
The alarm was raised on Thursday May 14 at around 7.12pm, when the mountaineer himself called for help. He told responders he was “lost and exhausted” while returning from a route towards Caín, and said he had limited equipment.
A spokesperson involved in the operation said: “At that moment he didn’t know where he was. The weather conditions were bad, with wind, low clouds and intermittent rain, and he said he was exhausted.”
During the call, emergency coordinators were able to obtain an approximate location using coordinates provided by the hiker. A large-scale search operation was then launched, led by the regional Civil Protection Emergency Coordination Centre.
Rescue teams including the Guardia Civil, specialist mountain units and a helicopter with two crew members, one of them a nurse, were deployed to the area. However, initial aerial searches were unsuccessful.
“As night fell, rescuers accessed the area on foot and began to search,” the spokesperson explained. “The operation continued until the early hours despite the adverse weather conditions, as it had started snowing in the area.”
The search resumed at first light on Friday, with additional support brought in, including emergency teams from neighbouring regions. The man’s body was later located in the Moeño canal, close to his last known position.
The Guardia Civil is now overseeing the recovery of the body, which will be transferred to Riaño. Authorities will also handle the necessary legal procedures following the discovery.
The incident prompted a significant emergency response over several hours in difficult mountain conditions, after what began as a lone distress call from the experienced hiker.
Image: Guardia Civil
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