Montserrat Tragedy: Two Climbers Killed in Rockfall

A rockfall killed two 30-year-old climbers on Saturday, April 11, in Montserrat Natural Park in Catalonia. About 30 miles from Barcelona, the massif is a historic and heavily visited climbing destination. As authorities have closed off several routes, the geological investigation is still underway.

Monserrat, Spain (cc) Corentin Largeron / Unsplash

The alert came late in the afternoon. On Saturday, April 11, at around 4:30 p.m., a third party found the two climbers unconscious at the base of a wall in the Columpi sector, near the Can Jorba parking area in the municipality of El Bruc on the south side of the massif. Emergency responders from the Bombers de la Generalitat, Catalonia’s regional fire service, the SEM medical emergency system, and several helicopters were dispatched after a major rockfall. The two victims, a man and a woman, both 30, had suffered severe head injuries. One of them was found in cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated at the scene before being airlifted out. At that point, both climbers were in critical condition. The man, who was taken to Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, died of his injuries on Sunday. The woman, who was treated at Bellvitge Hospital in the Barcelona metro area, died during the night from Monday into Tuesday, according to information confirmed by her family on April 14.

Rock instability appears to be the cause

Authorities have not yet released the name of the exact route the party was on, but the cause of the accident does not appear to be in doubt: a major natural rockfall. Montserrat is known for its huge conglomerate towers, a sedimentary rock formation that can be vulnerable to erosion. Early findings have already ruled out a failure of climbing gear or fixed anchors.

The exact sequence of events, however, is still being clarified. According to family sources cited by the Catalan daily La Vanguardia, the two climbers were part of a group of seven. The two mountaineers were reportedly struck and fatally injured by falling rock after the group had finished the climb and was packing up gear at the base of the wall.

To better understand how the collapse happened, the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, or ICGC, has carried out several drone reconnaissance flights in recent days. Those inspections are intended to identify the exact point of failure and assess the risk of further rockfall, whether tied to weather, underlying geological weakness, or other structural factors.

Five routes closed, fixed anchors may soon be removed

In response to the tragedy, and with the area described as “highly unstable,” the Patronat de la Muntanya de Montserrat, the public body that manages the site, moved immediately. Numerous blocks and rock fragments remain in a precarious position in the gully and on the upper part of the wall.

As a safety measure, five climbs in the Columpi sector have been closed and marked off: Lady Sue, La Gordi, Del Xavi, La Fàcil, and De la Marta. According to regional broadcaster 3Cat, park management is now considering permanently removing the fixed anchors from those five routes within the next week to 10 days.