Avalanche Hits 14 Teens Near Andorra Border, 3 Minor Injuries
No one was buried in the Sunday midday incident in Spain's Malniu area during a mountain traverse; all rescued amid heavy snow.
Key Points
- Avalanche at 1:29pm Sunday near Malniu, Meranges, Cerdanya, hit 14 teens and monitors.
- Three sustained minor injuries; none buried under snow.
- Group on multi-day hike from Cerdanya to Andorra abandoned traverse.
- Firefighters, GRAE, and helicopter airlifted injured to Cerdanya Hospital; rest evacuated by vehicle.
An avalanche struck a group of 14 adolescents and their accompanying monitors near the Andorran border in the Malniu area of Meranges, Cerdanya, on Sunday midday, leaving three with minor injuries but burying none under the snow.
The group had set out Saturday on a multi-day mountain traverse from Cerdanya toward Andorra, planning to reach the Engorgs refuge that day and end at the Illa refuge in Encamp parish's Madriu Valley by Monday. They had spent the previous night at the Malniu refuge before heading out Sunday morning under adverse weather conditions.
Emergency services, including Bombers de la Generalitat de Catalunya, the Servei d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM), and the 112 centre, received the alert at 1:29pm. Six fire crews, the Grup d’Actuacions Especials (GRAE), and a medicalized helicopter were deployed due to heavy snow buildup.
Rescue teams airlifted the three injured hikers to Cerdanya Hospital—also known as the transborder hospital in Puigcerdà—for evaluation. The remaining 11 were guided by firefighters to a safe location and evacuated by light vehicles from Malniu, abandoning the traverse amid poor weather forecasts that posed further risks.
"No one was trapped," Bombers de la Generalitat confirmed via social media, noting the light nature of the injuries.
The incident underscores mountain activity hazards in extreme winter conditions, especially with heavy snow and avalanche risks. Authorities advise caution as snowfall is forecast in high-altitude areas in coming hours.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: