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Authorities looking for a British woman who disappeared while hiking in the Pyrenees are looking for “other options beyond a mountain accident,” her partner has said.
Esther Dingley and Dan Colegate of Durham had been traveling in Europe since 2014 and were expected to return from a solo trip on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old set out to walk from Port de la Glere to Port de Venasque, a walk that follows the border between France and Spain, according to local police, but has not been seen since.
In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Colegate said authorities’ “prevailing opinion” was that Dingley was not in the mountains after extensive searches.
Now he is listed as a national missing person in Spain and his case has been transferred to “a specialized judicial unit in France,” Colegate added.
“For several days there has been talk that Esther may not be there and that was the reason why they could not find her,” he wrote.
“However, to no avail day after day, considering Esther’s high level of experience, the nature of the terrain, the good weather she would have had, the fact that she had a clearly defined route for Sunday night and the Monday, and several. Both search coordinators have essentially told me that while they can never be 100% sure, the prevailing opinion on search teams is that she’s not there.
“That if she had fallen off one of the trails, they really would have expected to find her given the intensity, the closeness of the search, and the fact that most of the trails are pretty easy in the open. As things stand tonight, Esther is now listed as a national missing persons case in Spain and the case has been passed on to a specialized judicial unit in France ”.
He added: “This means that they will look for other options beyond a mountain accident.”
Colegate said he was “very grateful” for the extensive efforts of rescue teams in Spain and France, who had used helicopters, dogs and a drone.
“While this is a scary event in many ways, I’m trying to focus on the fact that it leaves the door open for Esther to still come home,” he said in the post. “I was so happy and happy when we last spoke, I would do anything to see her face and hug her right now”
The couple began traveling after Colegate had a serious health problem and was documenting their motorhome adventures online.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman who was reported missing in the Pyrenees and are in contact with French and Spanish authorities.”
