An Irish woman has died after falling 500ft while her friend grabbed onto a bush-covered rock to save himself in a popular rock climbing spot.
The woman died after falling from the infamous Caminito del Rey pathway, close to the village of El Chorro in Malaga.
Her body was recovered by emergency services after the alarm was raised just after 7pm on Friday evening.
Her male companion cheated death by grabbing onto a bush-covered rock which was jutting out as he fell alongside his friend. He was said to be in a state of shock when he was rescued.
The climbers were in the Swiss Sector of the popular rock climbing spot, next to a hiking area called the Arabic Staircase, when the incident happened.
It is thought that the pair spent the day practising sport and that the fall occurred as they made their descent and took the wrong route.
According to police, the survivor said they lost their balance and fell over the side of a ravine.
The Civil Guard, the police force investigating the incident, confirmed on Saturday afternoon that she is an Irish national.
The victim, who is Irish, died after falling from the infamous Caminito del Rey pathway, close to the village of El Chorro in Malaga
The path is a popular spot for hikers and rock climbers wanting to explore nearby Malaga
The fall is the second in less than a month after a man had to be rescued by helicopter in December. He was pronounced dead following the rescue
The fall is the second in less than a month in the area involving a British climber.
On December 11, a 20-year-old man fell and hurt himself in an area known as Puente del Mono, which translates into English as Monkey Bridge, close to the village of El Chorro.
He was knocked unconscious and had gone into cardiac arrest by the time the first emergency responders arrived.
The man was pronounced dead after the helicopter rescue.
Following last month’s fall, a spokesman for the Guardia Civil said: ‘Members of the specialist Civil Guard Greim mountain rescue team based in Alora near Malaga, supported by a Civil Guard helicopter based in Granada, have rescued the body of a young British man.
‘He had suffered a fall while he was crossing a via ferrata in the area known as Monkey Bridge near to El Chorro.
‘When officers reached the man he had gone into cardiac arrest.
‘Despite practicing CPR on him and evacuating him rapidly from the scene by helicopter to a nearby heliport where medical services were waiting, they were only able to confirm his death.’
