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The Sun
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Brit couple on holiday in Spain swept to their deaths by ‘massive wall of water' that rushed through gorge
A YOUNG couple drowned in flash floods while hiking after a "massive wall of water" appeared within "seconds", an inquest heard. Alexander Barrett, 32, and Sarah Thompson, 26, were on holiday in Majorca with a group of friends when tragedy struck on September 3, last year. 3 3 Climbing instructor and lifeguard Alexander tried to help his girlfriend as a "wall of water" came crashing down the canyon they were walking with other hikers, Stockport Coroner's Court heard. The couple, from Offerton, near Stockport in Manchester, were swept away. Spanish rescue teams discovered Sarah's body the following day. Specialist officers located Alexander's on September 6, in the Torrent de Pareis canyon, in the Tramuntana mountains. At the inquest, Sarah's devastated father Peter Thompson, said his daughter "was never without a smile on her face". And Alexander's heartbroken dad, Paul Rodman, told how his son "loved life". Paying tribute, he said: "He was genuinely a good person, a caring person, a kind person. "The friends and family have developed a little saying, 'Be more like Alex' because that's what we aspire to be. "He's missed so much by all his friends and family." Alexander's friend Luke Weaver, who was on the trip with the tragic couple said: "We all had a mutual passion for climbing and hiking." Bank boss & dad-of-three, 43, drops dead after repeatedly scaling mountain six times in crazy 'EVERESTING' challenge He told the inquest how the group had planned a three hour expedition, which was known to be "challenging in places". Mr Weaver had already completed the route several times, but neither Alexander nor Sarah had. The fellow climbing instructor, who had worked with Alexander, said he checked weather predictions in the morning. He knew the gorge had flooded, but the forecast only showed rain hitting at 6pm, by which time they'd no longer be in the area. "Had I known what was to happen, I would never have let them into the gorge," Mr Weaver added. The hiker dropped the group off by car, but was delayed in joining them due to hitting traffic while trying to park. He noticed it starting to rain at around 2.30pm but became concerned when a storm moved in shortly after. Mr Weaver said he saw his friends, who were now with a German couple and two Spanish nationals, in a "bottleneck" between two boulders. "At this point the heavens opened," he said. "At this time the water was flowing like a small river." He went to help the group and asked Sarah if she was "OK" and she replied yes but with a "nervous smile". "Seconds later a massive wall of water came down the gorge," Mr Weaver said. "The water appeared to come from nowhere. The sound was incredibly loud, people were screaming." Mr Weaver told the inquest he saw one person clinging onto a rock, but one of the Spanish nationals had been swept away. His partner managed to get out of the water and after a few minutes others emerged gasping for air above the surface. Survivors were airlifted out of the gorge by helicopter, suffering only minor injuries. But Alexander and Sarah had been taken by the current, the inquest heard. Mr Weaver added: "Everyone who survived that day is incredibly lucky, especially those who got caught in the water. "I have never experienced anything like this and it is something I will never forget." Post-mortem examinations gave the cause of death as drowning for both of the deceased. Jyoti Gill, assistant coroner for Manchester South, recorded a verdict of accidental death caused by drowning for the couple. "It appears water dragged Sarah, and Alex had tried to help her," Ms Gill concluded. "Sadly, both Sarah and Alex were unable to climb to safety and were swept away by the floodwaters," she added. Sarah had represented Cumbria at fell running in national competitions. She earned a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan University, and had recently been promoted in the donations team at The Christie hospital in Manchester.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
British couple swept to their deaths when 'massive wall of water came from nowhere, sending people screaming' while hiking through Spanish gorge
A British couple were swept to their deaths on a hiking holiday when a 'massive wall of water came from nowhere' and cascaded down a canyon, an inquest has heard. Sarah Jane Thompson, 26, and her boyfriend Alexander Barrett, 32, drowned in the flash floods while hiking in a gorge in Majorca on September 3 last year. One witness told the inquest that the sound of the water was 'incredibly loud' and that it sent people 'screaming'. Ms Thompson, from Levenshulme, south Manchester, was found dead by Spanish search and rescue teams the day after the floods. But the search continued for Mr Barrett, a climbing instructor, who was last seen desperately trying to save his girlfriend from the sudden wall of water. His body was found on September 6 in the Torrent de Pareis canyon in the Tramuntana mountains. Ms Thompson's father, Peter Thompson, who lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed, told Stockport Coroner's Court his daughter 'was never without a smile on her face'. She had represented Cumbria at fell running in national competitions, had a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan University, and had recently been promoted in the donations team at The Christie hospital in Manchester. Paul Rodman, Mr Barrett's father, said his son 'loved life' and relished the outdoors, from hiking to surfing, adding: 'He was genuinely a good person, a caring person, a kind person. 'The friends and family have developed a little saying, 'Be more like Alex' because that's what we aspire to be. 'He's missed so much by all his friends and family.' The couple, from Offerton, near Stockport, had gone on the informal trip with friends, all hiking and climbing enthusiasts, making their separate ways to Majorca. On the trip was Luke Weaver, who knew Mr Barrett as a friend and climbing instructor at Awesome Walls, an indoor climbing centre in Stockport. 'We all had a mutual passion for climbing and hiking,' he said in a statement read at the inquest. Mr Weaver, on the trip with his partner, said the hike they planned to do, which took three to four hours to complete, was well known globally and known to be 'challenging in places'. He had completed the hike before on several occasions, but neither Ms Thompson nor Mr Barrett had, but he considered it was 'well within the capabilities' of the group, he said. Mr Weaver said he was aware the gorge flooded so he checked the weather forecast on the morning of September 3 last year, which only predicted rain from 6pm, by which time they would be 'well clear'. He added: 'Had I known what was to happen, I would never have let them into the gorge.' Mr Weaver said he dropped the group of friends off for the hike and intended to catch them up after parking his car, but was delayed in heavy traffic by around two hours, before he could begin the hike himself. It had been a hot morning, but a storm had moved in and at around 2.30pm it began to drizzle with rain but Mr Weaver said this did not cause any concern as he continued the hike to meet with his partner and friends ahead of him. But a short time later it started to rain more heavily and he could hear thunder in the distance and he began to quicken his pace. He said as there was no phone signal in the gorge he could not make contact with them. As the downpour grew Mr Weaver said he spotted his friends, who were now with a German couple and two Spanish nationals, in a 'bottleneck' between two boulders. 'At this point the heavens opened,' Mr Weaver said. 'At this time the water was flowing like a small river.' Mr Weaver said he was helping the hikers through the bottleneck and he gestured to Ms Thompson if she was 'OK' and she replied yes but with a 'nervous smile'. He then heard someone shout, 'Water!' 'Seconds later a massive wall of water came down the gorge,' Mr Weaver said. 'The water appeared to come from nowhere. The sound was incredibly loud, people were screaming.' Mr Weaver said he could see one of the group had managed to grab on to a rock while one of the Spanish nationals had been swept into the torrent and was being carried away. His own partner managed to get out of the water and after a few minutes others emerged from the deluge, but Mr Weaver said the noise of the water was too loud to communicate with each other. 'I was shouting and screaming for the others. I could see no-one,' Mr Weaver said. Ms Thompson had been seen being swept away along with her partner, who had tried to help but the current had taken him too, the inquest heard. Later the survivors were airlifted out of the gorge by helicopter, suffering only minor injuries. Mr Weaver added: 'Everyone who survived that day is incredibly lucky, especially those who got caught in the water. 'I have never experienced anything like this and it is something I will never forget.' Post-mortem examinations gave the cause of death as drowning for both the deceased. Jyoti Gill, assistant coroner for Manchester South, recorded a verdict of accidental death caused by drowning for both Ms Thompson and Mr Barrett, whose legal name was Alexander Johnson, but was known by the name Alex Barrett. Ms Gill said the storm had caused flash flooding, sending a large torrent of water down the canyon. 'It appears water dragged Sarah, and Alex had tried to help her,' Ms Gill concluded. 'Sadly, both Sarah and Alex were unable to climb to safety and were swept away by the floodwaters,' she added.
BBC News
05-08-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Stockport couple drowned in Majorca flash floods, inquest told
A young couple were drowned in flash floods while on a hiking holiday in Majorca, an inquest has instructor and lifeguard Alexander Barrett, 32, tried to help his partner Sarah Thompson, 26, as a "wall of water" cascaded down the canyon they were descending with a group of other hikers, Stockport Coroner's Court were swept to their deaths, with Ms Thompson's body recovered by Spanish search and rescue teams on 4 September 2024, the day after the Barrett's body was found on September 6 in the Torrent de Pareis canyon in the Tramuntana mountains. Ms Thompson's father, Peter Thompson, said his daughter "was never without a smile on her face".She had represented Cumbria at fell running in national competitions, had a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan Rodman, Mr Barrett's father, said his son "loved life" and relished the outdoors, from hiking to surfing."The friends and family have developed a little saying, 'Be more like Alex' because that's what we aspire to be." Mr Rodman added: "He's missed so much by all his friends and family."The couple, from Offerton, near Stockport, had gone on the trip with friends, all hiking and climbing enthusiasts, to Weaver, who knew Mr Barrett as a friend and climbing instructor at an indoor climbing centre in Stockport, said in a statement read to the inquest that the group "had a mutual passion for climbing and hiking". Mr Weaver, who on the trip with his partner, said the planned planned - which was expected to take three to four hours - was known to be "challenging in places". He had completed the hike before on several occasions, but neither Ms Thompson nor Mr Barrett Mr Weaver said he considered it was "well within the capabilities" of the said he was aware the gorge flooded so he checked the weather forecast on the morning of 3 only predicted rain from 18:00 BST, by which time they would be "well clear".He dropped the group of friends off and planned to catch up with them after parking his car, but was delayed in heavy traffic by around two the afternoon it began to drizzle, but Mr Weaver said this did not cause any concern as he continued the hike. 'People screaming' He said as there was no phone signal in the gorge and he could not make contact with his Weaver said he spotted them with a German couple and two Spanish nationals in a "bottleneck" between two boulders."Water [then] appeared to come from nowhere. The sound was incredibly loud, people were screaming."Mr Weaver said he could see one of the group had managed to grab on to a rock while one of the Spanish nationals had been swept into the torrent and was being carried own partner managed to get out of the water and, after a few minutes, others emerged from the Mr Weaver said the noise of the water was too loud for them to Thompson was seen being swept away along with Mr Barrett, who had tried to help before the current took him too. Survivors who had suffered minor injuries were taken out of the gorge by Gill, assistant coroner for Manchester South, recorded a verdict of accidental death caused by drowning for both Ms Thompson and Mr Barrett."Sadly, both Sarah and Alex were unable to climb to safety and were swept away by the floodwaters," Ms Gill said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Independent
05-08-2025
- The Independent
Couple drowned in flash floods on Majorca hike, inquest hears
A young couple were drowned in flash floods while on a hiking holiday in Majorca, an inquest has heard. Climbing instructor and lifeguard Alexander Barrett, 32, tried to help his partner Sarah Thompson, 26, as a 'wall of water' cascaded down the canyon they were descending with a group of other hikers, Stockport Coroner's Court heard. Both were swept to their deaths, with Ms Thompson's body recovered by Spanish search and rescue teams on September 4 last year, the day after the flood. Mr Barrett's body was found on September 6 in the Torrent de Pareis canyon in the Tramuntana mountains. Ms Thompson's father, Peter Thompson, who lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed, said his daughter 'was never without a smile on her face'. She had represented Cumbria at fell running in national competitions, had a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan University, and had recently been promoted in the donations team at The Christie hospital in Manchester. Paul Rodman, Mr Barrett's father, said his son 'loved life' and relished the outdoors, from hiking to surfing, adding: 'He was genuinely a good person, a caring person, a kind person. 'The friends and family have developed a little saying, 'Be more like Alex' because that's what we aspire to be. 'He's missed so much by all his friends and family.' The couple, from Offerton, near Stockport, had gone on the informal trip with friends, all hiking and climbing enthusiasts, making their separate ways to Majorca. On the trip was Luke Weaver, who knew Mr Barrett as a friend and climbing instructor at Awesome Walls, an indoor climbing centre in Stockport. 'We all had a mutual passion for climbing and hiking,' he said in a statement read at the inquest. Mr Weaver, on the trip with his partner, said the hike they planned to do, which took three to four hours to complete, was well known globally and known to be 'challenging in places'. He had completed the hike before on several occasions, but neither Ms Thompson nor Mr Barrett had, but he considered it was 'well within the capabilities' of the group, he said. Mr Weaver said he was aware the gorge flooded so he checked the weather forecast on the morning of September 3 last year, which only predicted rain from 6pm, by which time they would be 'well clear'. He added: 'Had I known what was to happen, I would never have let them into the gorge.' Mr Weaver said he dropped the group of friends off for the hike and intended to catch them up after parking his car, but was delayed in heavy traffic by around two hours, before he could begin the hike himself. It had been a hot morning, but a storm had moved in and at around 2.30pm it began to drizzle with rain but Mr Weaver said this did not cause any concern as he continued the hike to meet with his partner and friends ahead of him. But a short time later it started to rain more heavily and he could hear thunder in the distance and he began to quicken his pace. He said as there was no phone signal in the gorge he could not make contact with them. As the downpour grew Mr Weaver said he spotted his friends, who were now with a German couple and two Spanish nationals, in a 'bottleneck' between two boulders. 'At this point the heavens opened,' Mr Weaver said. 'At this time the water was flowing like a small river.' Mr Weaver said he was helping the hikers through the bottleneck and he gestured to Ms Thompson if she was 'OK' and she replied yes but with a 'nervous smile'. He then heard someone shout, ' Water!' 'Seconds later a massive wall of water came down the gorge,' Mr Weaver said. 'The water appeared to come from nowhere. The sound was incredibly loud, people were screaming.' Mr Weaver said he could see one of the group had managed to grab on to a rock while one of the Spanish nationals had been swept into the torrent and was being carried away. His own partner managed to get out of the water and after a few minutes others emerged from the deluge, but Mr Weaver said the noise of the water was too loud to communicate with each other. 'I was shouting and screaming for the others. I could see no-one,' Mr Weaver said. Ms Thompson had been seen being swept away along with her partner, who had tried to help but the current had taken him too, the inquest heard. Later the survivors were airlifted out of the gorge by helicopter, suffering only minor injuries. Mr Weaver added: 'Everyone who survived that day is incredibly lucky, especially those who got caught in the water. 'I have never experienced anything like this and it is something I will never forget.' Post-mortem examinations gave the cause of death as drowning for both the deceased. Jyoti Gill, assistant coroner for Manchester South, recorded a verdict of accidental death caused by drowning for both Ms Thompson and Mr Barrett, whose legal name was Alexander Johnson, but was known by the name Alex Barrett. Ms Gill said the storm had caused flash flooding, sending a large torrent of water down the canyon. 'It appears water dragged Sarah, and Alex had tried to help her,' Ms Gill concluded. 'Sadly, both Sarah and Alex were unable to climb to safety and were swept away by the floodwaters,' she added.
