Two hikers aged 33 and 46 tragically lost their lives in Haute-Garonne this Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Mountain rescuers are calling for the greatest caution in the face of terrain that has become extremely slippery due to the frost that has formed .
Two new tragedies took place in the Pyrenees this Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in Occitanie. Two hikers lost their lives a few hours apart and in the same place.
Two hikers aged 33 and 46
The two victims did not know each other but they had chosen the sumptuous setting of Mont Cagire, near Toulouse, for their first outing of the new year.
According to our colleagues from La Dépêche du Midi, they were both victims of a fall. The tragedy happened between Mount Cagir and Escalette.
A fall of at least 300 m
The first tragedy occurred in the morning in the town of Boutx. Mountain emergency services were alerted that a group of three hikers aged around thirty, who had gone to admire the sunrise, found themselves in distress. “The hiker slipped almost 300 m away, an unfortunately fatal fall,” explains a CRS rescuer to our colleagues. She was 33 years old.
The second tragedy took place early in the afternoon in the same place. A couple also went hiking near Cagire peak. The 46-year-old wife also suffered a fall after slipping.
Two autopsies requested
The bodies of the two unfortunate women will be autopsied. A request from the Saint-Gaudens public prosecutor's office to establish the exact circumstances in which the victims died.
Mountain rescue calls for caution
In a publication published on their Facebook page, the rescuers recall the dangers of the mountains which should not be underestimated.
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“If the snow during these holidays is providential for the resorts where the slopes are prepared and secure, we must not underestimate the dangers of the mountains and be particularly careful. Winter hiking is reserved for experienced and well-equipped people. Mountaineering crampons and ice axes are essential in many places. Trail crampons with chains or other forestry crampons are not considered to provide sufficient safety.
Two municipal decrees to limit access to the Escalette massif
The rescuers also specify that two municipal decrees have been issued by the mayors of Boutx and Arguenos in order to prohibit or limit access to the Escalette massif.
On December 28, a trailer also lost its life
This is not the first tragedy to shake the Pyrenees this winter. Saturday December 28, 2024, in Ariège, this time, the body of a 40-year-old trailer was found near Tarascon-sur-Ariège after long hours of searching. It was residents who raised the alarm after hearing calls for help followed by the echo of a landslide in the Sédour rock sector.
The victim, originally from the Bordeaux region, was on vacation with a group of trailers.
A couple missing since December 7, 2024
A Spanish couple is still missing in the Pyrenees in Ariège. The car of Txell, 52, and Estève, 47, was found partially buried under the snow, but no news from the Catalan hikers.
The heavy snowfall during this period could have been fatal to them, and considerably complicated the search.
