The Huesca mountain has been the scene of a tragic event that has shocked the Aragonese Pyrenees: a group of six mountain skiers, from the Basque Country, was surprised by a large avalanche while ascending the Tablato Peak, in the surroundings of the Panticosa Spa.
The incident, which occurred at an altitude of 2,700 meters, has resulted in the death of three mountaineers (two men and a woman), while a fourth member was rescued with symptoms of severe hypothermia and transferred to the San Jorge Hospital in Huesca.
The other two members of the expedition managed to escape unharmed under their own power and alerted the emergency services.
What exactly happened in Panticosa
The accident occurred around midday, when the group was on a ski mountaineering route in an area characterized by its steep slope. According to the information gathered by the emergency services, the detachment of a slab of snow and ice ran over four of the six mountaineers, leaving them trapped under the snow cover.
After being alerted by the two survivors around 13:00 hours, the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (GREIM) of the Guardia Civil, supported by medicalized helicopters, moved to the site to initiate the location and assistance. Despite the rapid intervention, the teams were only able to confirm the death of three of those affected and proceed to the urgent evacuation of the fourth injured to the San Jorge Hospital in Huesca.
What were the determining factors of the accident?
The preliminary investigation points to a combination of meteorological and orographic factors as the main causes of the avalanche: the Aemet bulletin for that day placed the risk at level 3 (notable) above 2,100 meters, warning about the formation of very fragile wind plates on the north and west facing slopes.
These snow structures, which tend to fracture under light loads such as skiers, slid on an unstable base layer composed of faceted snow and ice crusts. The steepness of the slope, coupled with the accumulation of more than 60 centimeters of dry snow at the highest elevations, created the stage for a chain fracture that carried both snow and ice blocks.
The authorities have reiterated the importance of carefully consulting the snow reports and exercising extreme caution on steep slopes, recalling that the risk of avalanches can be critical even for equipped and experienced groups. The Tablato Peak tragedy highlights the vulnerability of humans to the natural dynamics of snow at the highest altitudes of the central Pyrenees.
