Andorran Firefighters Rescue Two Groups in Nighttime Pyrenees Storm Ops

Andorran firefighters conducted two nearly simultaneous nighttime rescues amid Pyrenees storms, airlifting a stranded hiker from Comapedrosa peak and two climbers from Peguera in Spain's Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park.

The first operation responded to a call at 11pm on Tuesday. A resident hiker became trapped in a hard-to-reach area near Comapedrosa after losing her way while descending in darkness and bad weather. Two mountain rescue team members used a helicopter hoist to evacuate her. Uninjured, she was taken to Arinsal.

Shortly afterward, Catalonia's 112 emergency service requested Andorran assistance for the climbers—a man and a woman—blocked by the storm on the final stretch of the Raiers route near Peguera summit. Weather delays and a lack of night-vision equipment on the Catalan side prompted the coordination. Andorra's team, including a Heliand helicopter equipped for low visibility, joined Catalonia's Grup de Recolzament d'Actuacions Especials (GRAE) and Estany Gento funicular staff who aided ground access.

As conditions improved, the helicopter reached the pair and flew them to La Seu d'Urgell airport. Both showed early signs of hypothermia and received immediate medical aid there, with one later transferred to Andorra's Nostra Senyora de Meritxell Hospital for additional evaluation.

The cross-border effort highlighted strong ties between Andorran and Catalan emergency services. No further updates on the climbers' conditions were reported.