A Catalan woman dies trapped by an avalanche on a mountain in Georgia.

BarcelonaA Catalan woman has died trapped in an avalanche in Georgia. Yolanda Hernández Curulla, 53, from Tarragona, was caught in an avalanche while ski touring in Ushguli, one of the highest settlements in the Georgian Caucasus, in the Svaneti region and near Svaneti.

The woman was accompanied by five other people (three Catalans, one Valencian, and one German), who were rescued by the country's emergency services. According to sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish diplomatic mission in Georgia is already making the necessary arrangements with local authorities to offer all necessary consular assistance to those affected. Sources close to the group explain that this afternoon the expedition was descending single-file, one by one, through a mountainous area with heavy snowfall when the avalanche surprised them and trapped two of the hikers. One of them was able to escape, but the woman did not survive. The other five members of the group were rescued unharmed and with only minor bruises.

In a joint statement, the Guardia Urbana and the Tarragona City Council expressed their "deep regret for the loss of the leader," highlighting his "human qualities and professionalism," while offering to accompany the family, friends, and colleagues.

For his part, the delegate of the Government of Spain in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, has published a message on his X account in which he assures that he is following "closely" the accident caused by the avalanche in Georgia that has affected the expedition of Catalan mountaineers.

The woman had been a member of the Arítjol Club of the Selva del Camp, but was now associated with MadTeam, an online club., Although she was not a member of the Federation of Hiking Entities of Catalonia.

Two accidents in fifteen days

Today's fatal accident occurred just two weeks after a Catalan hiker also died in an avalanche in Armenia, a country bordering Georgia. On that occasion, the avalanche also trapped eight other Catalan hikers who were part of the group and were able to escape the avalanche and be rescued in time.

Ushguli has recently become a popular destination among ski mountaineering enthusiasts, despite the risks involved in mountaineering in the Caucasus. It is a very steep and rugged area that makes it prone to avalanches, as Xavi Llongueras, a high-mountain guide who has led several expeditions to the area, explained to Efe. The guide warns that "you have to have a lot of respect for the Caucasus," as these mountains tend to accumulate large amounts of snow, which increases the risk of avalanches.