A British hiker has been found dead and another is missing on the Spanish island of Mallorca after heavy rains swept over the popular tourist destination, emergency services said on Wednesday.
Emergency services had been looking for the two hikers since Monday night in an area of mountains in Mallorca where the Torrent de Pareis canyon descends to the Mediterranean, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
The search was called off on Wednesday at around 1900 GMT as dusk fell, with emergency services saying it would resume on Thursday.
“The body found is that of a woman and the missing person is a man,” police said in a statement, adding that the search for the man had been suspended because of poor weather but would resume when conditions improved.
Juan Carlos Rodriguez, the head of the Mountain Rescue Group brigade in the Balearic islands, told reporters they had rescued 10 people who were hiking in the canyon and “were surprised by the storm”.
“They were the ones who told us that they had seen two people who had been swept away by the water,” he said.
“When you don’t look at the weather before, and you are in a foreign country doing sport tourism, or sun and beach tourism, that leads to people having accidents,” he added.
Local authorities had called for people to be careful due to the “very intense storms” that were expected.
“Avoid outdoor activities (going to the beach, hiking, water sports),” the archipelago’s emergency services warned on X.
Mallorca remained on alert on Wednesday for heavy rains and strong winds, with the national weather office Aemet warning that gusts of over 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour were possible.
The Mediterranean island, known for its picturesque beaches and sunny weather, is one of Europe’s most visited destinations. It is especially popular with German and British tourists.
