The chances of finding the second British hiker who was swept away by the waterspout during the storm on Tuesday in the Torrent de Pareis, Escorca, alive are diminishing as the hours go by, although rescue workers “are not giving up hope” according to the Guardia Civil said at the command post of the rescue operation in La Calobra, lamenting that from experience in similar cases, finding the missing person alive in these circumstances is “complicated”.
Mallorca firefighters explained that the search is now focusing on the areas with accumulated water, warning, however, of the difficulty of the work because the water is still running and is cloudy and dragging a lot of dirt, making visibility difficult. Furthermore, due to the orography of the terrain, communications between the search teams is also difficult.
Since early Thursday morning, members of the Guardia Civil’s Special Underwater Activities Group (GEAS) have joined the search for the missing hiker. The divers have joined the Grupo de Rescate Intervención en Montaña (GREIM, Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group) of the Instituto Armado in the search effort. The teams are combing the entire torrent from end to end with the aim of finding the second missing person, after the body of the other hiker, the missing man’s partner, was found on Wednesday.
Since 2017, five people have lost their lives in torrents and ravines in Mallorca and two (one of them the tourist who is still missing in the torrent de Pareis) remain unaccounted for. The ‘curse’ of the torrents, with unexpected surges of water, have triggered tragedies, although emergency experts clearly differentiate two categories: canyoning professionals who suffer an accident and hikers (many of them tourists without the appropriate clothing or equipment) who recklessly enter these rocky gorges.
According to Spain’s official tourism website: “The Torrent de Pareis declared as Natural Monument is one of the most spectacular canyons on the island. You will be surrounded by it’s impressive 250 meters rock walls on each side, walking and scrambling between huge boulders and finishing at the beautiful and picturesque beach of Sa Calobra. Please bear in mind that this particular activity requires good physical fitness and balance since it’s a difficult hike. “TO BRING:– Sporty clothing– Hiking shoes or mountain boots– Swimming gear– Backpack– Min 1’5l water/person– Sandwich or snacks– Sun protection– Towel.”
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