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Officials searching for a British hiker who disappeared while hiking in the Pyrenees are investigating “other options beyond a mountain accident,” his partner has said.
Esther Dingley had been traveling in Europe since 2014 with her partner, Dan Colegate, and had been I hoped to return from a solo walk last Wednesday.
Local police say Dingley, 37, had made it a point to hike from Port de la Glere to Port de Venasque, along the border with France and Spain.
After extensive searches, involving various teams, drones, dogs and helicopters, the “prevailing opinion” of those involved is that Dingley is not in the mountains, according to a Colegate Facebook post.
Ms. Dingley has been listed as an official disappeared in Spain and her disappearance has been transferred to “a specialized judicial unit in France,” he added.
Mrs. Dingley disappeared after a hike in the Pyrenees
“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 others. In essence, both search coordinators have told me that while they can never be 100% sure, the prevailing opinion on search teams is that she is not there, “the publication said.
“That if she had fallen off one of the roads, 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 to a specialized judicial unit in France.”
He added: “This means that they will look for other options beyond a mountain accident.”
“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 blissful when we last spoke, I would do anything to see her face and hug her right now.”
He also said he was “very grateful” for the efforts of rescue teams in France and Spain.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “Our staff are supporting the family of a British woman reported missing in the Pyrenees and are in contact with French and Spanish authorities.”
The Durham-based couple began traveling after Colegate suffered from a serious health issue and has been documenting their motorhome adventures online.
