Tourist Falls to Her Death in Front of Horrified Partner in Hiking Accident

A British tourist has died after falling more than 1,600 feet during a horrifying hiking accident in the Pyrenees mountains of northern Spain.

The 42-year-old woman reportedly plunged to her death in front of her partner while the pair were descending Balaitus Peak, a popular mountain on the border between Spain and France.

The woman was crossing a well-known hiking route called the Great Diagonal when the tragedy happened in Spain’s Huesca region.

Her 53-year-old partner was not injured.

Spanish police sources confirmed the woman was a British national who was born in the U.K. but had been living in Finland.

The alarm was raised around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

A rescue helicopter was sent to the mountain slopes, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her body was later flown to Zaragoza’s Forensic Medicine Institute for a post-mortem examination.

A spokesman for Spain’s Civil Guard said the woman’s death is being treated as a tragic accident.

“An investigation is ongoing and a report drafted by officers will be sent to a local investigating court along with the post-mortem results,” the spokesman said.

“At this stage the woman’s death is being treated as a tragic accident resulting from a fall.”

One source said weather conditions were good at the time of the hike, but the woman is believed to have slipped on snow while descending the mountain.

Balaitus Peak rises more than 10,000 feet and is a popular destination for experienced hikers and mountaineers. It separates Spain’s Tena Valley from France’s Val d’Azun.

The tragedy is the latest fatal mountain accident involving British hikers in Spain.

Last month, another British mountaineer was found dead after making a desperate SOS call from the Picos de Europa mountain range in northern Spain. The 61-year-old reportedly told emergency responders he was “lost and exhausted” before he was later found dead.

In April, two people were also killed by falling rocks at the famous Montserrat climbing area near Barcelona. They had been part of a group of climbers when the accident happened.

For the British woman’s family and partner, what began as a mountain hike in one of Europe’s most dramatic landscapes ended in unimaginable heartbreak.

Authorities are continuing to investigate, but officials currently believe the deadly fall was a tragic accident.