From terrorist attacks to imprudence when taking a ‘selfie’, a black year for Spanish tourists abroad

The recommendation “not to travel under any circumstances to Afghanistan” from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not seem to have any effect on six Spaniards who were They were surprised by a shooting by the Islamic State terrorist group when on May 17 they visited the Bamiyan market, as part of the excursion they had contracted. Three of them died instantly. They were Susana Vilar Bhuler and her daughter Elena Schröder Vilar, mother and daughter, both pharmacists in Barcelona, ​​and Ramón Belmas Riumbau, originally from Gerona and Susana’s partner.

A fourth, María Celia Tamayo, 82, underwent emergency surgery in Kabul and was repatriated to Bilbao. Since her arrival she remained hospitalized and was never able to recover from the injuries caused in the attack, from which she died on July 31. Three Afghans died in the attack and six other people were injured (including three Afghans and three foreigners: a Norwegian, an Australian and a Lithuanian). Two other Spanish citizens were unharmed in the attack.

Although commercial flights have resumed and there is an increase in travel offers organized by specialized agencies, the risk of kidnapping or attack throughout the country is very high. With the Spanish embassy closed to the public due to the lack of security guarantees, the ministry’s website already warns that “at the moment consular protection and assistance cannot be offered on the ground to Spaniards who are in Afghanistan.” Likewise, it is noted that “all expenses derived from hospitalization, the repatriation of wounded or the transfer of bodies is the responsibility of the individual», so they recommend taking out insurance.

The recklessness of the Spanish tourist, who got too close to a herd of elephants in the Pilanesberg national park, and the reaction of one of the adult maleswho felt “disturbed” by the human presence, was the deadly cocktail that cost the life of Carlos Luna, an Aragonese from Egea de la Caballeros (Zaragoza), who was participating in a photographic safari with his fiancée and two other tourists.

Despite warnings from his fiancée, a South African national, and the other companions, the man from Eje got off the SUV to photograph the herd of elephants – three adults and three calves. In his presence, one of the adults He turned against Carlos and attacked him until he died.as explained then by the director of conservation of parks and tourism of the Northwest province, Pieter Nel, through a statement published by local media. As he recalled, it is “normal” for adult elephants to try to protect “younger animals.” “Many tourists are unaware of the dangers and do not realize how dangerous these animals can be,” added the expert.

“Unfortunately, he could not elude or escape the elephant, to which the entire herd had joined him, he was overtaken and crushed to death,” explained Pieter Nel. After the attack, the elephants immediately moved away without attacking the other occupants of the vehicle and disappeared into the bushes.

Also on a photographic safari, but this time in a car accident in the Ngorongoro crater (Tanzania) two Biscayan tourists died on August 4. The women, mother and daughter, participated in an activity together with the father and the other son of the familywho were seriously injured in the accident.

The events occurred when the car in which the four Spaniards were traveling – belonging to a company that organizes safaris in the African country for Spanish-speaking tourists – was traveling through the Ngorongoro crater and the driver lost control when taking a curve. As a result of the swerve, the car overturned and rolled down the hill towards the interior of the crater, which reaches a height of 600 meters.

The injured were initially treated by the safari agency guides and were later evacuated to a hospital in Nairobi. A few weeks later, when their condition stabilized, the father and son who survived the accident were transferred to the Cruces University Hospital in Bilbao. The flight, organized by the travel insurance they had contracted, passed without clinical incidents to the Loiu airport, in Vizcaya.

An ambulance, arranged by the insurance company itself, transported the injured to the Cruces University Hospital, where they were examined by a medical team, who concluded that the treatment received in African hospitals had been adequate and they were out of danger, with a reserved prognosis. The father was admitted to a hospitalization ward, run by the Traumatology service, and did not require critical care. For his part, the minor, conscious and stable, was admitted to the Anesthesia and Resuscitation service.

Even today, the disappearance and death of Enric Soler and Mercè Molas, a Catalan couple who decided to end their vacation by taking a trekking route in the Annapurna region, Nepal, are still not completely clarified. The discovery of two backpacks with their documentation, a trekking pole and a mobile phone next to one of the waterfalls of the Bhurungdi River, predicted the worst from the first moment. Later, when the rescue team found Enric Soler’s body downstream, suspicions focused on the possibility that he had fallen into the river.

The Nepal Police always used the main hypothesis that the couple suffered an accident when they were trying to take a ‘selfie’. Apparently, they got too close to the waterfall and, due to the high humidity, they slipped and fell into the riverbed. “We suspect that the tourists might have been swept away by the Bhurungdi river. They ventured alone and without warning along the old pathwhich is known to be dangerous, especially during the monsoon season, when the river’s water levels rise,” explained Annapurna Rural Municipality spokesperson Bharat Man Gurung, according to Nepal Wilderness Trekking.

Several local media explained that the tourists booked a walk to Ghorepani around 10:30 a.m. to observe Annapurna from a famous viewpoint, but decided at the last minute to take an older route and moved away from the main group. The last messages they exchanged with their family and friends recounted their day-to-day adventures, where they uploaded photographs of their trip. For its part, Mercè had published an image with Soler on Instagram five days before at the Taj Mahal in India. The woman’s body has not yet been found.

A landslide in a steep area of ​​Madeira (Portugal) caused the immediate death of a young Spanish woman who was hiking with her parents. The 21-year-old woman was hit by rocks and dragged to a cliff in the vicinity of the Levada da Água de Alto, located in the municipality of Santana. Their parents were also hit by the landslide, which only caused minor injuries that could be treated at the nearest hospital.

The accident coincided in time with a strong fire that devastated Madeira for two weeks, although authorities ruled out any connection. The mayor of Santana, Dinarte Fernandes, told Portuguese television that “the collapse occurred in a levada (watercourse in the rocks) frequented by many tourists,” and explained that several firefighters had been mobilized to “attend to the situation.” , since the possibility that there were more people buried was not ruled out. Fernandes explained that the landslide was not related to the fire, “It is an area with high cliffs” and is prone to landslides and accidents. “It is a levada with a certain tourist interest, very popular,” he told Portuguese public television.

The mayor of the municipality explained to the Portuguese press that it is an area classified as dangerous and that the path where the collapse occurred “is not recommended.” Given the landscape, it is common for tourists to venture out, but the path is very “narrow and dangerous”, precisely because of the risk of landslides. The trails They are traditional water courses excavated in the rocks of the island that function as archaic irrigation systems. They are known as “levadas” and are used by the “levadeiros” who maintain them, ensuring the circulation of water through the rocks. These trails are widely used by tourists, despite warnings from authorities about the danger.

The flooding of the Wadi Tamerzit, caused by the heavy rains that hit that area of ​​Morocco at the beginning of September, caused the death of a Spanish tourist. The woman was traveling with other foreigners in two SUVs that were swept away by the river. Six people were rescued later, although the body of the group’s guide was never found.

The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior confirmed the death of the Spanish woman, as well as that of a Canadian and a Peruvian woman. The floods left a total of 18 deadthe majority in the province of Tata, although there were also fatalities in the regions of Errachidia, Tiznit, Tinghir and Taroudant. At first, four people were reported missing, including the tour guide.

A heart attack, caused by a “decompensation” while descending on a chairlift from one of the most touristic places in Argentine Patagonia, was the reason for the death of a 74-year-old tourist. The man had ascended to one of the viewpoints of Cerro Campanario, which is located 1,050 meters above sea level. During the descent he began to feel unwell and, despite the attempts of the site workers to revive him, his death was declared “from natural causes.”