Son's rescue bid fails in Spanish climbing tragedy

Three British men died during a climbing expedition in Spain's Sierra Nevada Mountains, despite the attempts of one of the group to go for help.

Stephen Riddiough was reported to have woken on Sunday to find the other members of the party - his father Colin, Paul Dick, both from Saltburn, and John Plews from Redcar - unconscious. He left the men sheltered in a snow-hole on the south side of Mulhacen, the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and trekked to the village of Capileira to raise the alarm.

However, Civil Guard rescue teams failed to find the men on Sunday and the rescue attempt had to be called off due to the bad weather conditions. The bodies of the three men were eventually found on Monday afternoon.

It is believed that the men died of hypothermia.

According to some reports, the men were not equipped with proper clothing and footwear for the expedition. A police spokesperson had yesterday described the trip as "reckless". However, another official was later reported to have said that the men were "well equipped" for the trip.

The tragic deaths bring the total number of Britons who have died while walking on Spanish mountains this year to five. Last month, Robert Rippengal, 39, and Kate Stokes, 35 - both experienced climbers - died after they were stranded in a snowstorm in the Picos de Europa Mountains in northern Spain.

Earlier this year, another British climber Paul Beck, 33, had to be airlifted from the same mountain range, after surviving six days and five nights by wrapping himself in warm, waterproof clothing and drinking his own urine to prevent dehydration.

The Sierra Nevada mountain range overlooks the beaches of Andalusia, but has some of the highest peaks and most hostile mountain conditions in Europe.

During the winter months, temperatures on the peaks are, on average, around 14C less than in the valleys, creating sub-zero conditions which can cause even very experienced climbers serious problems.

In May 2004, rescuers found the bodies of three people, including two Dutch women, who had been part of a group of mountaineers who got lost in bad weather.

(KMcA/GB)