Hiker dies during walk on holiday in the Canary Islands | UK News

A British hiker has died while on a walk in the Canary Islands with his wife.

The victim, a 53-year-old man, went missing on Monday and his body was found in a ‘difficult to access’ area on Tuesday afternoon.

He disappeared during a walk near Gran Canaria’s second-highest summit, Pico de Las Nieves.

His wife raised the alarm and a search began at around 5pm yesterday, but it was called off at 8pm due to the lack of light.

The search continued this morning on the ground as well as with an emergency and rescue helicopter.

The man’s body was found at around midday and was recovered at around 5pm.

An investigation into the man’s death is still ongoing – but police sources say everything is pointing to him losing his life in a ‘tragic accident’.

A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency services co-ordination centre said: ‘Around 1pm an emergency and rescue helicopter located the body of a man who had died and after receiving judicial authorisation, evacuated it to a car park at the viewpoint at Pico de Las Nieves so the Civil Guard could take over.

‘The alarm had been raised around 5pm on Monday. The information received was that a person had gone walking from the lookout at Pico de las Nieves and hadn’t returned. The search operation was launched immediately.’

It’s thought the man was on holiday in the area with his wife, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Pico de Las Nieves is easily accessible by car, bike or foot.

It was regarded as Gran Canaria’s highest peak until it was ousted from its top spot by another mountain next to it called Morro de la Agujereada after it was discovered to be just 19 feet higher.

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