Climber rescued from the rock face of Peñas Blancas

Numb hands prevented the man from reaching the top of the sheer rock face between Isla Plana and La Azohía

An intrepid climber was rescued by firefighters of the Town Hall of Cartagena after nightfall on 14th October after he found himself unable to continue his ascent of the sheer rock face of Peñas Blancas, the highest peak in the municipality.

At 627 metres above sea level, Peñas Blancas is never going to be a challenge for climbers on account of the extreme cold or thin air, but the white rock face on the western side, over the gorge of El Cañar, is one of the most impressive natural sights in this part of Murcia. It stands just a kilometre or so inland from the Mediterranean, between the villages of Isla Plana and La Azohía, and from inland it can be seen from large areas of the Murcia countryside.

The climber in question came to a halt only around 30 metres from the summit when numbness set in in his hands, but he did manage to find a ledge on which to rest in relative safety while his companion alerted the emergency services. They arrived as quickly as possible via the Rambla de la Víbora but access to the area is, of course, not easy, and the process of setting up safe rescue equipment could not be hurried and they first needed to ascertain his exact location with the help of a drone.

Fortunately, neither of the two men was seriously injured, but they won’t forget their climb of Peñas Blancas in a hurry!

Image 1: Ayto Cartagena