A 200-Meter Fall On A Standard Route On Torre de Cerredo Kills Spanish Mountaineer
Torre de Cerredo, Picos de Europa, Spain – On August 15, 2016, a mountaineer from Santander, Spain suffered a fatal fall while descending Torre de Cerredo peak in the Picos de Europa in the Cantabrian Mountains in Asturias in northern Spain.
After summiting Torre de Cerredo, the man, identified as Miguel Angel O.G. age 42, was descending from the peak with his climbing companion when he fell approximately 200 meters. The climbers were on a standard route when the fall occurred. ElDiarioMontanes.es reports that he stopped on a snowfield near the top of Torre de Cerredo. SpanishNewsToday.com notes that it is unclear how the fall happened.
Authorities were notified at 14:52. SEPA rescue responded to the accident by helicopter, but were unable to retrieve the body. They confirmed the climber was dead. A unit from the Army mountaineering division in La Morgal will retrieve the body.
At 2548 meters, Torre de Cerredo is the highest peak in the Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa and Cantabrian Mountains. It is located on the central massif of the Picos de Europa, called Urrieles. The peak was first climbed by Aymar d’Arlot de Saint Saud, Paul Labrouche, Juan Suárez, de Espinama and Francois Salles, from Gavarnie, on June 30, 1882. Many climbers do not use a rope while climbing Torre de Cerredo despite the exposure.
