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The Independent
12-06-2025
- The Independent
Adventure-loving woman fell to death climbing in north Wales beauty spot
A social media influencer with more than 10,000 followers died plunging 65ft when she lost her grip climbing a rocky mountain face, an inquest heard. Adventure-loving engineer Maria Eftimova, 28, was tackling the notorious Tryfan mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, when the accident happened. Maria was climbing with friends and trying to get a handhold when she tumbled - and went into "freefall" down the mountain. Fellow climber Harry Jones said the group were going up the face one-by-one when he saw her fall. He said: "I could see on one particular ledge Maria stopped in order to get a handhold. to pull herself up. I was six ft below her, to the left. "She swung her right leg up to pull herself up. I asked 'Got it well?' and she said 'I think so." But he said moments later he was Maria "flying over me" and down the mountain. Neil Oakes, who was on a slightly different route up the mountain told of his horror at seeing Maria's fall. He said: "I turned and saw Ms Eftimova tumbling through the air below me. She was already in freefall. "I knew there was going to be an impact on the rocky outcrop below so I turned away for a split second. I was shouting 'No, no, no, no.' "When I turned back she was on the ledge below. I knew that it was serious. I said 'She's gone. She's fallen'. I was in shock. "The inquest heard she suffered severe head injuries including a fractured skull and despite help from paramedics she died at the scene. Maria was the second professional woman to die in the mountain range in a week following the death of 30-year-old Dr Charlotte Crook. Maria, of St Helens, but originally from Sofia, in Bulgaria, had more than 10,000 followers on social media where she showcased her outdoors lifestyle. She was an experienced mountaineer and had recently completed an ice-climbing course in Norway. But the Caernarfon hearing was told she fell on the mountain's notorious north ridge - a popular but dangerous scrambling route. Coroner Kate Robertson returned a conclusion of accidental death and passed on her condolences to her family and friends. She said: "It seems that Maria was scrambling with others when she has unintentionally and unexpectedly fallen and during the course of that fall she has sustained the injuries which have sadly led to her death." Friend Victoria Critchley, set up a fundraising page to help pay for repatriation costs, saying: "Maria was an ambitious, bright and cherished 28 year old, whose vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her. "She had a passion for engineering, having studied Civil Engineering at the University of Salford and a love for extreme sports. Her biggest passion being Snowboarding, which she was super excited for and looking forward to doing again on her upcoming trip to Austria. "She had an insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world's beauty. Tragically, she was taken from her family far, far, far too soon!" Victoria said the fundraiser who help Maria's devastated family. She said: "Adding to their immense grief, the family, who reside in Bulgaria, face a significant financial burden to repatriate Maria and give her the dignified farewell with her loved ones that she deserves." Friend Jem Elder wrote: "We will miss you everyday, forever Maria Eftimova. Your beautiful, uplifting spirt will always live on, you really were the very definition of loving life and living a happy, fulfilled life, inspiring others to follow in your footsteps. See you on the last climb." The tragedy on February 22nd came just six days after Dr Charlotte Crook also died while climbing in the same region. An inquest heard Dr Crook plunged 30ft to her death while walking on Glyder Fach with a fellow medic. Both women were attended to by Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation. Speaking of Maria's accident, the team said: "A group was ascending the north-ridge when one of them fell 20 metres into steep terrain. "Passers-by with climbing equipment abseiled down and made her safe, and a team member already nearby made his way down and started CPR. "Colleagues from Welsh Ambulance Service stood by at base while the Coastguard helicopter dropped team members onto the mountain. "Unfortunately, the casualty had not survived her injuries, and she was brought down to Oggie base. The thoughts of all involved are with the casualties families and friends, thank you to all the members of the public who tried to help."
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Travel influencer, 28, fell 60ft to her death in front of her friends on one of Britain's deadliest mountains
Friends of an extreme sports enthusiast who fell 60ft to her death from one of Britain's deadliest mountains watched in horror as she went 'tumbling through the air'. Influencer Maria Eftimova, 28, who friends said had an 'insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world's beauty', joined a Facebook group who went hiking up a 3,000ft Snowdonia peak, which is located in Wales. The thrill-seeker was an experienced mountaineer who had recently completed an ice-climbing course in Norway. But tragically the engineering student lost her footing when her heel slipped while scrambling up Tryfan on February 22. Neil Oakes, who was among a group of about 18 on the peak when the party split in two, said he had been ahead of Eftimova and turned around to check on his companions. 'I turned around again and saw Maria tumbling through the air below me,' he said in a statement to an inquest into her death on Wednesday. He added: 'I knew there was going to be an impact. I was shouting "No,no,no!" When I turned back she had hit the ledge below.' Harry Jones, another witness to the tragedy, said about seven of the group on the peak had been going from ledge to ledge. Eftimova was ahead of him and slipped as she pulled herself up. He said: 'All I saw was her flying over the top of my head and down the mountainside.' Jones said he 'froze' then called emergency services. A rescue helicopter and mountain rescuers arrived at the scene but Eftimova died from multiple injuries. Jed Stone, of Ogwen Valley mountain rescue team, told the hearing she had been scrambling on the north ridge of Tryfan, an area of steep rocky ground and many cliff faces. Originally from Bulgaria, Eftimova had lived in the UK for ten years. A heartbroken friend previously posted a video of the group of walkers attempting the 'Mexican wave' on the peak - half an hour before the tragic slip. Nargesse El Haiba wrote on Facebook in a tribute: 'This will have been roughly 30 minutes before your tragic accident and you taking your last breaths in front of me. 'I have grieved you and cried so much that I can't cry anymore. I will never take the mountains for granted again.' Eftimova - who was studying at Salford University in Manchester, England - was a keen climber, surfer and snowboarder who had climbed Tryfan several times. In a statement her father Rosen said: 'We learned about Maria's death from a telephone call from her friends with her at the time of the accident.' North West Wales senior coroner Kate Robertson told the hearing: 'Very sadly it seems Maria was scrambling with others when she's unintentionally and unexpectedly fallen. 'During the course of that fall, she has sustained the injuries which have sadly led to her death. That fall was entirely accidental.' She concluded that Eftimova's death had been an accident. When she opened the inquest, the coroner said Eftimova had been 'trying to reach a ledge to get a grip on the hand-hold and has gone to lift herself up'. She added: 'Her heel has slipped and she's fallen from the ledge and it appears she's fallen some distance.'
BBC News
11-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Tryfan: Woman accidentally fell to her death scrambling in Eryri
A 28-year-old woman fell to her death trying to pull herself up on to a ledge while scrambling up a mountain, an inquest has concluded. Maria Rosanova Eftimova, a structural civil engineer, was scrambling on Tryfan in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, on 22 February, when she died. Ms Eftimova, from St Helens in Merseyside, fell about 65ft (20m) while ascending the 3,010 ft (918m) mountain and died by accident, the inquest in Caernarfon have described her as a young woman whose "vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her". The inquest was told Ms Eftimova had set off Saturday morning at about 09:00 GMT as part of a group of about 18 people who had organised the were heading to the north ridge of Tryfan on a trail with no marked footpaths and requires scrambling to reach the summit. The group split into two just over half way up the mountain with most people taking an easier or seven people, including Ms Eftimova, chose a harder route up the north face of the Jones, who was at the back of the group immediately behind her, described how she struggled to get a hand hold while trying to climb onto a ledge above."She started to pull herself up," he said in a statement, "but then I saw her flying over the top of my head down the mountainside".Another member of the group, Neil Oakes, said he "saw Maria tumbling through the air below me in free fall"."I was shouting 'no, no, no', and looked away. When I looked back, I knew she'd hit a ledge below." Mountain rescue crews arrived quickly, but Ms Eftimova had died before she could be taken off the mountain.A post-mortem examination showed she died from severe head injuries including a fractured from her father Rosen Eftimov described how she was born in Bulgaria but travelled to the UK for her university worked for Costain as a civil engineer and became a British citizen in Eftimova was an experienced mountain climber, a keen snowboarder and had completed a glacier climbing course in friend Victoria Critchley paid tribute to her earlier this year saying Ms Eftimova was "ambitious, bright and cherished, whose vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her".Coroner Kate Robertson recorded a conclusion of accidental death at the inquest in also sent her condolences to Ms Eftimova's family and friends saying they had lost a "bright and conscientious young woman."
