Mountain rescue teams find young climber reported missing in Spain's Picos de Europa last week

Senén Turienzo, the young climber who was reported missing in Spain Picos de Europa mountain range last week, has been found alive, according to 112 Asturias. Turienzo was located by the emergency services of Jou de los Boches, Cabrales. After being evacuated from the area on board a medical helicopter, he was admitted to Oviedo hospital with traumatic head injury, various bruises and possible fractures of the upper limbs, injuries compatible with a heavy fall.

The young man, who is from León, was located around 2pm. The Asturias rescue team was tracking the area between the Urriellu refuge and Horcada de Caín when they heard someone calling for help. The voices came from the Jou de los Boches area, so they diverted their attention to that point, while informing the SEPA helicopter, which was participating in the aerial search. Once in the area, the rescuers verified from the air that there was a person who could be clearly seen. The team members on the ground verified that it was the young man they were looking for. They attended to him and stabilised him to lift him onto the aircraft, before being taken to the Hospital de Asturias, where he arrived at 3.30pm.

The 23-year-old climber went missing last Monday. An intense search was activated with the advanced command post based in Sotres, as the young man's idea was to reach Covadonga by crossing the complicated mountain range. After the search had to be suspended at nightfall on Thursday, it was resumed on Friday morning.

Cantabria had asked the Spanish central government on Thursday for the UME emergency military unit to join the search operation, but the request was rejected, which generated a great deal of "anger".

The Guardia Civil said: "We received information from the Parque Nacional Picos de Europa that the mountaineer was supposedly last seen in the Pandébano area, so all efforts were focused on searching around Cabraliega. The area to be searched was very extensive and complicated, but fortunately the search had a happy ending.

After learning of the successful conclusion of the search, the president of the Cantabrian regional government, María José Sáenz de Buruaga, publicly congratulated the professionals involved in the operation on the X social media network (formerly Twitter).

Government minister Isabel Urrutia said, "The rescue was good news in a situation that was already extreme. The first hours are key, hence our commitment to invest all the means available to the national civil protection system. The team that helped is a source of pride for this region. It is a group that has been able to collaborate and support this joint work with Asturias."