Emergency teams have found one of the hikers who went missing during the storm on Tuesday. She is a 26-year-old British woman. The lifeless body has been located about 200 metres from where the Guardia Civil and firefighters were searching.
A large operation by the Guardia Civil and the Bombers de Mallorca is currently deployed in the Serra de Tramuntana trying to locate the second of the hikers who went missing. The tourists were caught in the heavy rain and the second Briton is still unaccounted for. The Guardia Civil has his mobile phone number and is trying to triangulate his position via telephone masts.
Due to the overflowing of the Torrent de Es Racó in Escorca, emergency teams had to rescue a hundred people who had been trapped. In addition, the underpass that connects to sa Calobra was flooded. Land resources and the Benemérita helicopter also took part in the operation. Of the five people who were staying at the Son Amer refuge, two of them returned at 00:20 hours, in a state of shock and very tired, after being rescued. A third tourist had to be treated in a clinic, but his life is not in danger.
The missing man is a 32-year-old who was caught by the flooding of the torrent on Tuesday afternoon when he was on an excursion with a group that also included a 26-year-old British woman, who was swept away by the waters and whose body was recovered this morning.
According to the account of other hikers who coincided with the two Britons and were rescued by the Guardia Civil, the young woman who died was swept away by the flow of the torrent and the man was swept away by the water when he tried to help her.
The Guardia Civil also set up a special operation on Tuesday in anticipation that, despite the weather alert, there would be hikers trying to access the torrent, as has happened on previous occasions.
Late in the afternoon, agents from the mountain rescue group managed to evacuate ten people trapped and without warm clothing, who were taken to a safe place by helicopter.
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Very sad, but sometimes outside tourists are woefully misinformed! The Torrent de Pareis is THE most challenging hike in Mallorca with several technical sections, even if just walking the lower reaches from the beach. And yet, this group seems to have been doing it from the Son Amer refugio, i.e. the Escorcha end. I've done it a few times. It should NEVER be attempted when rain is forecast, and late August/early September is ALWAYS thunderstorm season in the Tramuntana. These storms were shown three days in advance on windy.com. Sorry for their loss but the Tramuntana are NOT a Disneyland attraction. The inexperienced or unfamiliar should seek out a competent local guide. Salute to the Guardia Civil pilot for what looks like a very hairy pickup.