Ben Pawlowski
A 19-YEAR-OLD hiker has been airlifted to hospital after being bitten by a snake in the Ibon de Escalar, a popular walking spot in the Pyrenees.
The Guardia Civil’s air unit in Huesca, Aragon, were called to the scene near the French border after an emergency call was made regarding the welfare of a young male after he was bitten by a viper.
The unnamed man, from Barcelona, was airlifted to San Jorge hospital in Huesca, where he received emergency medical attention.
Simultaneously, eight hikers in the Barranco de Mascun area were airlifted to safety after their route was cut by flooding from the nearby River Mascun.
The group consisted of five women and three men from Pamplona.
Spain is home to three species of poisonous snake: the snub-nosed viper (Vipera latastei), Seoane’s viper (Vipera seoanei) and the asp viper (Vipera aspis).
However, these deadly serpents only account for one or two deaths every year, with more people dying in Spain annually from wasp stings and dog bites.
There are 11 other non-venomous species of snake found in Spain.
