El final del estado de alarma dispara los rescates de montaña y se teme otro verano accidentado
End of state of alarm sees mountain rescues soar and fears of another summer with many accidents
Rescues fell by only 14% in 2020, despite confinements, with record numbers in August of four a day.
The abundance of snow and the strong waters in the canyons have already caused one death and 14 injuries this month.
The death of a canyoner who drowned in Torla and the serious accident of a skier who fell 200 metres down a snowy slope on the descent of the Aneto have set off the first warning signals. The increase in mobility at the end of the state of alarm, on 9 May, has already begun to be felt in the Aragonese mountains with an increase in rescues in May. The first fatality has been recorded since August 2020 and 14 people have been injured, in what seems a foretaste of what is to come in summer, if the trend of 2020 is confirmed, a year with more tourists in nature destinations, considered safe, and with a new profile of more inexperienced visitor.
During the first year of the pandemic, the number of rescues barely dropped, by 14% (405 in 2019 and 347 in 2020), despite the months of strict home confinement in spring and mobility restrictions in autumn and winter. The reason is to be found in the high accident rate in summer.
Snow is still a risk
"May is a month of transition, in which winter activities are mixed with canyoners and hikers, not without dangers", explains Second Lieutenant Fernando Navarro, head of the Greim in Aragon.
The snow still covers the peaks, there are still snowfields in the shady areas and the ravines have a considerable flow of ice water due to the thawing of the snow. In fact, on the 8th, four mountaineers were injured by an avalanche in Benasque, and the collapse of a snow ledge caused another accident in Panticosa. "Above 2,800 metres there is still quite a lot of snow," he points out, something that may surprise hikers, as happened in Peña Nebera (Villanúa), where the helicopter evacuated a young man who had no ice axe or crampons and when he reached a certain altitude he was unable to continue and gave warning, fearing that he would slip and fall.
A body that the mountain has not yet returned
On the other hand, with the onset of good weather and the thaw, the Guardia Civil plans to resume the search for the 37-year-old English hiker Esther Dingley, who disappeared at the end of November on the Salvaguardia peak (Benasque). The search carried out in this area, later extended to cover a wider perimeter, was interrupted by the first snowfall.
In the practices carried out by the Guardia Civil specialists in this area over the last few months, they have been on the lookout for any clues. The same applies to the helicopter, when flying over the area.
"As soon as the snow disappears, a more specific search will be carried out," sub-lieutenant Fernando Navarro, head of the Greim said.
Dingley's partner recently met with the Spanish and French rescue units and they confirmed the restart of the operation, "with all possible efforts", when the area is cleared of snow so that it can be effective and thorough, according to Daniel Colegate.
BBM