Emergency teams continue to search for the 32-year-old hiker who went missing in Mallorca due to the severe storms that hit the island on Tuesday. Troops are combing the Pareis stream, one of the busiest and most conflict-ridden mountain areas on the island, where they found the body of the young man’s 26-year-old companion on Wednesday. According to initial investigations, none of them were wearing adequate protective equipment to cope with the extreme conditions they were exposed to. The rising current swept them away.
Other hikers who were able to be rescued alive and who coincided with the deceased and the missing person, both of British nationality, report that at the time of the strong flood, the young woman was swept away by the current and the man was swept away by the current when I tried to help him. The Civil Guard emphasizes that the chances of finding him are diminishing as the hours go by, while assuring that the rescue forces “are not losing hope.”
In statements to the media at the command post of the La Calobra rescue operation, representatives of the Army Institute explained that, due to similar experiences and circumstances, it is “complicated” to find the young man alive, although they do not give up in his search and they are convinced that it will give good results.
The runway works resumed this morning with the incorporation of several members of the Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS) of the Civil Guard, who thus joined the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (Greim), the Bombardiers of Mallorca and the Emergencies.
The firefighters explained, for their part, that the searches are now focused on the areas where the water has accumulated, although they warn of the difficulty of the work given that the water continues to flow, is cloudy and carries an abundance of dirt, which makes it difficult to see the place. In addition, due to the orography of the terrain, communications between the troops are also difficult.
Last Tuesday, the Army Institute had to rescue a dozen people trapped in the Torrent de Pareis after the flood caused by a waterspout. The Greim of the Civil Guard has set up a device throughout the day in the area to prevent possible accidents for hikers who go to this area and taking into account the forecast of heavy rains.
The Command decided to implement this device due to the experience of previous years, in which it is common for water to surprise hikers, many of whom do not pay attention to weather forecasts and find themselves trapped due to rising waters. The agents found hikers without warm clothing and completely wet.
The Pareis torrent, in which a large number of rescues take place every year due to the ease of disorientation, rises at an altitude of 50 metres, flows towards the sea for about 3,300 metres and, due to its rugged nature, recommends its route to hikers already familiar with the demands required by its descent, also taking into account the difficulties of access for emergency services.
