A British man has died while abseiling down a mountain near Costa Blanca in Spain.
His 33-year-old sister-in-law, who is also British, was rescued by helicopter and taken to hospital with a broken leg.
The 35-year-old man is understood to have fallen almost 80 feet while abseiling at Monte Ponoig, a mountain known locally as the Sleeping Lion, which is a popular spot for climbers and walkers.
The Civil Guard in Alicante said his death was being investigated but at the moment it is being treated as an accident. A local source said: "At this stage it’s looking like the abseil anchor broke away, either because of a fault with the equipment or because it hadn’t been attached properly to the rock-face.
"The incident wasn’t caused by any health problems involving the British pair as was initially suggested as a possibility. They appear to have been experienced climbers and it looks like they were on holiday in the area."
The pair had climbed up the mountain and the incident happened as they were abseiling back down. It happened close to the spot where a 51-year-old British man died in January 2017 after falling 150 feet during a rock climb with a friend.
