Woman in her 20s dies in popular Spanish tourist spot after horror 500ft fall

A woman, believed to be around 21 years old, has tragically died after falling approximately 500ft in a popular rock climbing area near Malaga, southern Spain. The alarm was raised just after 7pm yesterday and her body was recovered by emergency services.

Initial reports about the woman's nationality were conflicting, but it is thought she may be either Irish or British. A male companion, who was with her at the time of the accident, miraculously survived by grabbing onto a bush-covered rock as he fell.

He was reportedly in a state of shock when rescued. The incident occurred near the village of El Chorro, close to the famous Caminito del Rey pathway, in an area known as the Swiss Sector next to the Arabic Staircase hiking area.

It is understood that the pair had spent the day practising sport and the accident occurred during their descent after they mistakenly took the wrong route. The survivor told police they lost their balance and fell over the side of a ravine.

Initially, local press reported the woman to be of British origin, but she has since been described as a 21 year old Irish national. Her nationality has not yet been officially confirmed by the police, reports the Mirror.

No information has been released regarding the survivor's origin. The nationality of the man who died has not yet been revealed.

The Civil Guard, the police force handling the investigation, has yet to make an official statement but is anticipated to do so over the weekend. A well-informed source close to the ongoing investigation confirmed local reports about the woman's nationality, stating that his information also indicated she was "of British origin."

This recent tragedy marks the second incident in less than a month involving a British climber in the area.

On December 11, a man believed to be around 20 years old fell and injured himself in an area known as Puente del Mono, or Monkey Bridge, near the village of El Chorro. He was unconscious and in cardiac arrest by the time emergency responders arrived.

The unnamed Brit was declared dead following the helicopter rescue. The location of this incident is also near the renowned Caminito del Rey path, once dubbed the most dangerous walk in the world due to its disrepair before it was reopened after restoration.

It's understood that the deceased man was crossing a protected climbing route called a via ferrata, where a metal rail is bolted into the mountain for users to clip into as a safety line. Following last month's tragedy, a spokesman for the Guardia Civil in Malaga stated: "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."