A young British climber has been declared dead after being rescued by helicopter from Puente del Mono near El Chorro in Malaga, which is on the famous Caminito del Rey path
A young British climber has died after plunging from a famous cliff known as ‘Monkey Bridge’ in Spain.
The man, believed to be around 20 years old, was rescued from the side of the mountain by helicopter following the fall but was later declared dead. He fell and injured himself yesterday morning in an area known as Puente del Mono, which translates to Monkey Bridge, near the village of El Chorro in Malaga.
The Brit was knocked unconscious and had gone into cardiac arrest by the time emergency services got to the scene. The man, who has not been named, was pronounced dead after being winched off the mountain by the Guardia Civil.
Emergency services were called at around 11am yesterday to the area on the famous Caminito del Rey path. It’s believed the man was crossing a protected climbing route called a ‘via ferrata’, where a metal rail is bolted into the mountain that users clip into and use as a safety line.
Speaking for the first time since the tragedy, a spokesman for the Guardia Civil in Malaga said: ““Members of the specialist Civil Guard Greim mountain rescue team based in Alora near Malaga, supported by a Civil Guard helicopter based in Granada, have rescued the body of a young British man. He had suffered a fall while he was crossing a via ferrata in the area known as Monkey Bridge near to El Chorro.
“When officers reached the man he had gone into cardiac arrest. Despite practicing CPR on him and evacuating him rapidly from the scene by helicopter to a nearby heliport where medical services were waiting, they were only able to confirm his death.”
It was not immediately clear whether the climber was on holiday or was living in Spain. A post-mortem is due to take place and police will report to an investigating magistrate who has been tasked with an ongoing court probe into the incident.
Just last month, another British man had to be rescued by the Guardia Civil after falling while climbing in El Chorro. The man was taking on a climb known as the Blue Line when he fell and broke his leg.
His injuries left him unable to move and he was stuck 650ft in the air until a Civil Guard helicopter helped him to safety. He was taken to hospital in Malaga and treated for his injuries.
