The agents recovered the bodies of the two women who were found dead this Monday EUROPA PRESS / CIVIL GUARD (EUROPA PRESS / CIVIL GUARD)
The cold and the harshest nature of the Sierra Nevada that exists outside of the motorable and urbanized areas has claimed three lives in just four days this week. On Monday afternoon, two Hungarian-born women were found dead at a location very close to the inhabited area of the Sierra Nevada ski resort. And this Thursday, the Civil Guard found a 22-year-old boy from Biolurrus, found dead in an accident in a river in the same mountain range. On this occasion, everything indicates that he had an accident while trying to cross the river bed when he wanted to climb the Mulhacén summit on its north face, on a day not conducive to mountaineering from a meteorological point of view.
The coincidences of deaths overlap in time but not in type or specific area. The two women, aged 55 and 57, died in Hoya de la Mora, just 200 meters from the university hostel, located in the upper part of the ski resort’s residential area. The Civil Guard, who rescued her after receiving a call from a hiker who found her, could do nothing to save her life. The autopsy, as well as the agents’ visual inspection, revealed that there were no signs of violence and, although the final results of the medical examination are not yet known, everything points to death from hypothermia or frostbite, according to preliminary data from the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Granada. In the days following the rescue, it was known that the documented women appeared to be well prepared for the cold.
The curious thing about the case is that due to the place where it was found, it was not a question of a high mountain hike or something similar, but – at least until then – a walk through the inhabited area. Civil Guard sources confirm they are still taking the appropriate steps to locate relatives in their home country and proceed with procedures for the repatriation of the bodies.
The case of the young Belarusian is completely different. According to these Armed Institute sources, the deceased is a man who lived in Guardamar de Segura, Alicante. The climber spent a few days in a mountain hut in the Sierra Nevada with his partner and two other people. On Sunday the group wanted to climb Mulhacén on its north face. But the atmospheric conditions threw three of the expedition members back. The reasons why the young man insisted on taking the path, despite the circumstances and the concessions of his friends, are unknown.
Under these conditions, this ascent to Mulhacén is not a hiking route for amateurs. On Tuesday, after two days without hearing from the young man, the Guardia Civil group reported the disappearance of their traveling companion. During an initial search on foot, agents were unable to find him. A day later, on Wednesday, the mountain rescue and intervention group (GREIM) resumed the search on the most likely route. Eventually, a rescue dog found the young man in the bed of the Valdecasillas river in the area near Las Chorreras de la Mosca in the Sierra Nevada (in the town of Güejar Sierra), the Civil Guard said in a statement.
Agents’ visual inspection indicates an accident while attempting to cross the river, causing him to be swept away by the water and dying from the injuries caused. Poor weather conditions initially prevented GREIM members from evacuating the body. They had to wait until this Thursday to do it. Thanks to the ceasefire due to the bad weather and the support of the Civil Guard air unit, they managed to save the lifeless body.
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With the ultimate reasons for both accidents unknown, Sierra Nevada sources say the week hasn’t been particularly cold compared to what they believe has been a harsh winter for the park. According to the Spanish weather agency (AEMET), in the early morning hours of Sunday it sometimes reached seven degrees below zero. The rest of the week levels were much smoother; a value that every mountaineer can support with appropriate clothing. Yes, there was significant snowfall on Monday and Tuesday. In any case, there is no official explanation for what happened in either case. In fact, this sequence of accidents is not common in the Sierra Nevada. The last similar case happened in 2004, when three Dutch tourists died in a snow and wind storm halfway between La Alpujarra and the Barranco del Poqueira, which is 2,500 meters above sea level. However, one of the hikers was found just a few meters from the shelter located in this gorge.