Tragedy as young British woman plunges to her death in 500ft rock climbing fall in Spain

A British woman has reportedly died after a tragic fall in a popular rock climbing area near Malaga in southern Spain.

The victim, in her 20s, was killed after plunging around 500ft. Her body was rescued by emergency services after the alarm was raised just after 7pm on Friday, January 10.

A male friend she was with miraculously cheated death by grabbing onto a bush-covered rock that was jutting out from the rest as he fell alongside his climbing companion, reports The Mirror.

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The incident took place near to the village of El Chorro close to the famous Caminito del Rey pathway. The spot the climbers were in is called the Swiss Sector next to a hiking area called the Arabic Staircase.

They are understood to have spent the day practicing and are thought to have suffered their accident as they made their descent after taking the wrong route by mistake. The survivor has told police they lost their balance and went over the side of a ravine.

Local press are reporting the woman was of British origin. The Civil Guard, the police force investigating the incident, has yet to make any official comment but is expected to do so over the course of the weekend.

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The latest tragedy is the second in less than a month in the area involving a British climber.

On December 11 a man said to be aged around 20 fell and hurt himself in an area known as Puente del Mono which translates into English as Monkey Bridge close to the village of El Chorro.

He was knocked unconscious and had gone into cardiac arrest by the time the first emergency responders arrived. The Brit was pronounced dead after a chopper rescue.

The dead man is understood to have been crossing a protected climbing route called a via ferrata where a metal rail is bolted into the mountain that users can clip into and use as a safety line.

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A spokesman for the Guardia Civil in Malaga said after last month’s tragedy: “Members of the specialist Civil Guard Greim mountain rescue team based in Alora near Malaga, supported by a Civil Guard helicopter based in Granada, have rescued the body of a young British man.

“He had suffered a fall while he was crossing a via ferrata in the area known as Monkey Bridge near to El Chorro. When officers reached the man he had gone into cardiac arrest. Despite practicing CPR on him and evacuating him rapidly from the scene by helicopter to a nearby heliport where medical services were waiting, they were only able to confirm his death."