Hiker Dies in Pas de la Casa Avalanche

On Saturday, November 29, at noon, a 32-year-old Catalan hiker was buried by snow while mountaineering with his partner in the Pic Blanc area. The avalanche alert was activated at 1:50 PM, according to the Bombers d’Andorra, who immediately deployed to the area by helicopter. The victim was located in less than thirty minutes from the emergency call thanks to the intervention of a K9 unit from the fire department.

According to emergency service sources, the man was not carrying an Avalanche Victim Detector (DVA or ARVA), a crucial device for expediting rescues in such situations. The absence of this equipment made the search dog's intervention essential, ultimately leading to the hiker's location under the snow.

When responders extracted him, the young man was in cardiorespiratory arrest. The teams immediately began resuscitation maneuvers, later joined by a paramedic and a SUM doctor. Despite their efforts and his subsequent transfer to the hospital, his vital signs could not be recovered, and his death was confirmed.

Firefighters explained that although snowfall had not been particularly abundant, strong winds in high areas had created a highly dangerous situation with a high risk of wind slabs, and unfortunately, this accident has once again highlighted the avalanche danger present in several points of the Pyrenees after the intense precipitation recorded during the last weeks of November.