Search underway for missing British mountaineer in Spain’s Picos de Europa

A SEARCH has been launched for a British mountaineer who has gone missing in Spain in bad weather conditions.

The 61-year-old told emergency responders he was “lost and exhausted” when he made his last call around 7pm yesterday.

He had travelled to the famous Picos de Europa mountain range in northern Spain.

A helicopter was mobilised as part of an ongoing land and air search once his location was narrowed down but he has yet to be located.

A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said late yesterday: “We are coordinating a rescue that began at 7.11pm on Thursday after receiving a call from the Castilla and Leon province emergency centre, informing a British mountaineer aged 61 had become disorientated when he was doing a mountain route in the Picos de Europa.

“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.”

Saying his rough location was established through coordinates he gave, the spokesman added: “A regional government rescue helicopter was mobilised with two rescuers on board, one of them a nurse.

“The Guardia Civil and provincial firefighters were also alerted.

“When they reached the area the British man was understood to be in, the rescue helicopter carried out several reconnaissance fly-overs but was unable to spot him.

“As night fell, rescuers accessed the area on foot and began to search it with a Guardia Civil specialist mountain search and rescue team.

“The operation continued until the early hours of this morning despite the adverse weather conditions, as it had started snowing in the area.

“The search was resumed at first light today.”

Officials in the neighbouring region of Asturias just above the Castilla and Leon region have also been asked for help.

A Guardia Civil spokesman said giving more details of the search area: “A search operation is underway in the Picos de Europa for a 61-year-old who is disorientated in the area between Cain and Torrecerredo in Leon.

“During the night Civil Guard mountain specialists with other emergency responders have been combing the area with the co-ordinates they had been given.

“Backup units have been incorporated into the ongoing operation at first light.”

The Picos de Europa - Peaks of Europe in English - are a mountain range extending for around 12 miles forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain.

The range is situated in the autonomous communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and Leon.

The highest peak is Torre de Cerredo which is 2650 metres (8,690ft) high.