Catalan climber killed and seven injured after avalanche in Armenia

A Catalan climber has died, seven were injured, and one escaped unharmed after being hit by an avalanche on the northern summit of Mount Aragats, an extinct volcano over 4,000 meters high, in Armenia. 

At least two of the affected individuals are firefighters from the Special Action Group (GRAE) of La Seu d'Urgell park in the Pyrenees, while a third is believed to be a volunteer firefighter.  

The Aragatsotn regional crisis management center received a call about the accident just before 12:30 pm, according to Armenia's Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

Firefighters, rescue teams, and emergency responders were deployed to the site, successfully rescuing eight climbers. A ninth climber is missing. The rescued mountaineers have suffered varying degrees of injuries.

In statements to the media, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, explained that of the eight rescued climbers, seven are hospitalized but their lives are not in danger. The eighth was unharmed and is collaborating with the authorities to try to locate the ninth climber.

Meanwhile, the mayor of La Seu d'Urgell, Joan Barrera, explained that, of the eight injured, five or six are residents of La Seu d'Urgell or nearby municipalities. In addition to the two GRAE members there is also another volunteer firefighter from Montferrer park.

Barrera specified that the injured were evacuated to hospital after 4 pm, four with serious injuries and the rest are minor injuries. The injuries include fractures, head trauma and hypothermia. The prognosis for all of them is favorable, according to the mayor.

Finally, the mayor said that the La Seu d'Urgell Council has made itself available to the relatives of the climbers involved in this "shocking" event.

Sources from the Unió Excursionista Urgellenca, based in La Seu d’Urgell, a town close to the Andorran border, told ACN that at least four of their members were caught in the avalanche and suffered fractures.

Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the situation through its diplomatic representation in Armenia. It is mobilizing its Consular Emergency Unit, a division of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for assisting Spanish citizens abroad in crisis situations. 

The ministry is in constant communication with the Embassy of Armenia in Spain, the Catalan government, and the Spanish government's delegation in Catalonia.

Catalan interior minister Núria Parlon confirmed on 𝕏 that three of those rescued are part of the Catalan firefighters' brigade. She also thanked Armenian rescue teams and offered her support to family members.