British Hiker Found Dead in Spanish National Park After 48-Hour Search

A 61-year-old British hiker was found dead in Spain after emergency services conducted a 48-hour search. The man had been reported missing on Thursday while hiking in the municipality of Posada de Valdeón inside Picos de Europa National Park. His body was recovered from the Moeño canal. The Civil Guard will extract the body, emergency services said.

The search involved the Civil Protection and Emergency Agency and a rescue helicopter. Ground teams swept the area after the hiker contacted authorities to report he was disoriented and tired. A spokesman for a regional emergency coordination centre described the start of the operation.

m. Thursday from the Castilla and Leon province operations centre. "We are coordinating a rescue that began at 7. The spokesman added that weather conditions at the time included wind, low clouds, and intermittent rain, and the hiker reported being exhausted.

Picos de Europa National Park is Spain's oldest and second-largest national park. It covers a 250-square-mile limestone mountain range across the provinces of Asturias, Cantabria, and León, with peaks exceeding 2,500 metres. The UK's Foreign Office has issued warnings to British travellers about hill walking and mountain activities in Spain.

The advisory notes that temperatures can change quickly and recommends checking local weather reports. It also cautions that altitude sickness may occur in higher ranges and advises calling emergency numbers if an accident happens during mountaineering.