Two climbers killed after scaling cliffs in Spain

Two American climbers reported dead while scaling cliffs at a popular climbing spot on the south-east coast of Mallorca, in Spain.

The pair – who were 25 and 35 and have not been named – had traveled to the Spanish island from Barcelona on Tuesday for a day’s climbing in caves near the port of Portocolom.

The area is favored by climbers who practice deep water soloing, or psicobloc, a style of solo climbing that takes place over water in the hope of minimizing injuries.

Nearby swimmers had seen the pair climbing with a chalk bag spotted a body floating in the water by Cueva de es Cossi.

“A local lifeguard and some nearby swimmers provided him with first aid but were unable to revive him,” he said. “Then another body was spotted closer to the cave. The maritime rescue service arrived but there was nothing more to be done.”

In a statement, the maritime rescue service said it worked with firefighters and local police to recover the bodies, which were taken to Portocolom.

Two of the world’s most successful climbers, Eneko and Iker Pou, expressed their condolences on Twitter.

“Consternation and a lot of pain following the news we’ve just received that two climbers died while doing psicobloc today”, they wrote. “Everything points towards a rockslide. RIP.”