MONACHIL – Two women with Hungarian identity papers were found dead in the Sierra Nevada on Monday afternoon. A hiker found the two bodies around 2.00 pm in the Hoya de la Mora area just above the ski village.
According to sources from the Guardia Civil, the hiker alerted police after finding the two bodies. He was walking near the University Hostel which is located in the upper part of the ski village.
Found already dead at Sierra Nevada
Agents of the Guardia Civil quickly went to investigate. The deployment of the Mountain Rescue Service or the use of helicopters was not necessary. The women, aged 55 and 57, were found already dead, and therefore, the police could only confirm their deaths.
From Sierra Nevada, the two bodies were transferred to the Institute of Law Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IML) in Granada. There, employees are now working on the autopsy that should explain the cause of death.
The two women were perfectly dressed and documented, according to the Guardia Civil, and showed no signs of violence. The first hypothesis they are working on is that they died from the cold. It is believed they were hiking and unable to find refuge when they were surprised by a snowstorm and poor visibility. Furthermore, the area would have been completely covered in clouds.
That hypothesis was partly confirmed by ILM sources by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, in the absence of definitive results. They explained that some “additional analyses” are being carried out and that “nothing violent has been found so far and everything points to hypothermia”.
That is why the judicial protocol has been activated by the Guardia Civil, but the case is not currently being investigated as murder or a violent act involving third parties.
The investigators have not yet been able to determine what these two women were doing at that location, whether they were residents of Spain, on vacation or for what reason they were at the place where they were eventually found. It is also not known where they were staying or when they came to the Sierra Nevada.
Dozens of mountain hikers are saved every year
Unfortunately, these two Hungarian women are no exception among people who are surprised by a sudden change in the weather in the high mountains. The ski village is located at an altitude of 2,100 – 2,500 metres. Furthermore, the Guardia Civil rescues dozens of mountaineers and hikers every year.
The high mountains of Granada initially seem easily accessible for walks and excursions. Yet here lurks, especially for those unfamiliar with the terrain, the dangers of very changeable weather and sudden cold that can put even the most experienced climbers into trouble.
Excursion with Dutch people in 2004
The most notable incident was the one that ended with the deaths of three Dutch hikers in May 2004. A group of twelve foreign visitors, together with a Dutch guide who had never been to Granada, hiked a short route from Trevélez to the Poqueira shelter. They were wearing trousers, t-shirts, and simple training shoes without consulting the weather forecast. That day it suddenly started snowing together with gusts of wind up to 80 kilometres per hour. Consequently, that turn of weather caused the group to become hypothermic and ended the lives of three hikers.
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