British man, 50, killed in paragliding tragedy in Spanish Pyrenees

23 September 2022, 08:39 | Updated: 23 September 2022, 08:50

A man, 50, has been killed in a paragliding accident in the Pyrenees, despite rescue attempts to save him. Picture: Guardia Civil

By Cameron Kerr

A British man, 50, died following a paragliding accident on the south side of the Pico Gallinero mountain when rescuers were unable to save him.

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Paramedics rushed to the aid of the man, who was severely injured on the south side of the Pico Gallinero mountain in the Aragonese Pyrenees. The man was found unconscious by rescue teams, but later died.

Police in Huesca received an emergency call at 1:30pm on Thursday that the paraglider was conscious but with breathing difficulty. Police and a medical team scrambled to the scene by helicopter where the found members of the public trying to give the injured man CPR, according to reports.

Police in Huesca received an emergency call at 1:30pm that the paraglider was conscious but with breathing difficulty. Picture: Guardia Civil

The Pico Gallinero is a popular area for practising sport, with many people using the peak for paragliding and rock climbing. Picture: Alamy

But while paramedics then began treating the man they were unable to save him.

The man’s body was removed by helicopter and later taken to the Hospital Provincial de Huesca, reported Cadena Ser.

Police have said that they have launched an investigation.

The Pico Gallinero is a popular area for practising sport, with many people using the peak for paragliding and rock climbing.

On Wednesday September 21, two Spanish climbers in their 50s were on the mountain when they were hit by a rockfall. The incident left them hanging unconscious, 350m in the air from ropes.

A mountain rescue team was able to reach them, in a prolonged operation due to dangerous conditions and the possibility of a fresh rockfall, before they were taken to hospital.

The death of the unnamed Brit is the second this year in the Pyrenees from paragliding, with another man from Barcelona losing his life in June. There have been 14 deaths in total from all activities in the mountains during 2022.

British hiker Esther Dingley died in the Pyrenees in 2020, after having gone missing on November 22, following a WhatsApp video call from atop the Pic de Sauvegarde where she was talking to her boyfriend Daniel Coelgate.

It was not until the following August that her body was found by her boyfriend.