British pilgrim dies after fall into river on Camino de Santiago route

A local resident discovered the lifeless body of a 64-year-old English pilgrim in the Robo River close to Puente la Reina-Gares on Friday morning, May 22. Police Foral officers, the police force of Navarra, rushed to the spot after receiving the alert at 9.30am.

Location and circumstances of the fall

Investigators suspect the man attempted to cross a ramshackle wooden bridge constructed from logs and pallets. This unofficial crossing is said to sit around two to three metres above the water level and serves local people accessing allotment plots. Reports indicate the structure does not form part of any official Camino de Santiago path. Registration details confirm the pilgrim was booked in as a registered guest at Hotel Albergue Jakue and nearby Albergue El Peregrino on Wednesday night. Concerns grew following failure to return for his booked accommodation among those around him.

Emergency services deployment

Firefighters from Navarra joined a duty doctor and an ambulance crew at the riverbank site. Medical staff could only confirm the death upon arrival near the riverbank on the way out of town towards Pamplona.

Police investigation underway

Officers from the regional force continue to examine details of what happened. Judicial authorities are now overseeing the case as standard procedure for such incidents. Everything points to an accidental slip that led to a plunge into the river. A possibility exists that the man struck his head during the fall from the height of the bridge. A local gardener who uses the bridge daily reported no unusual activity the previous day. Discovery occurred when the gardener returned to his plot the following morning and saw the body partially submerged.

Dangers on the pilgrimage

Another pilgrim lost his life on 17 April near Santiago de Compostela. That incident took place in the rúa do Beado area of O Milladoiro after the traveller suffered a sudden illness. Emergency teams from various services attended but could not revive him at the scene.