A jump into the Segre River from rocks near Camarasa, in Lleida province, ended in the death of a 25-year-old man on Sunday. The incident occurred in the Congost del Mu, close to the old Campament de la Canadenca, and triggered a large-scale emergency response. Bombers de la Generalitat said the alarm was raised at 14:15, when a witness reported that two people had leapt into the water. One got out unaided; the other disappeared from view, prompting an immediate search.
The Congost del Mu is a gorge along the Segre between Camarasa and Alòs de Balaguer, in the la Noguera area. Its route includes metal walkways and bridges built alongside the river, in rugged terrain quite different from a conventional supervised bathing area. ElNacional.cat has described the area as a riverside route, while Julio Collado of ElCaso.cat separately reported the fatal drowning in the Segre at Camarasa.
Rescue teams deployed eleven ground units, a helicopter carrying GRAE (Grupo de Actuaciones Especiales) specialists, divers and a boat. Authorities also asked the Camarasa Hydroelectric Plant to halt its turbines, lowering the river’s flow to aid the search. It took nearly two hours to find the missing man. His body was found among branches about fifty meters from where he was last seen.
Emergency personnel pulled the victim from the water and attempted resuscitation, but could not revive him. The companion who jumped with him was assessed by the Servicio de Emergencias Médicas (SEM) and did not need hospital treatment. The tragedy came just a day after another young man, aged 21, drowned in a separate incident in a canal in the Delta de l’Ebre near Amposta, in Montsià.
Natural waterways can pose risks from currents and submerged obstacles, while the gorge’s confined terrain and access routes can complicate rescue work. The Segre is a tributary of the Ebro, and its flow can vary. The Congost del Mu draws walkers and other outdoor visitors, but that recreational use does not make every section of the river a supervised bathing area.
Separately, RTVE Catalunya reported on October 20, 2026, that Catalonia had recorded 11 flood-related deaths that year, compared with a historical annual average of about three. That figure covers deaths caused by flooding, not recreational drownings, and does not link those incidents to the drowning at Camarasa. Large-scale emergency responses to accidents are common in Spain. During major events such as the wildfire evacuations in Castellón, multiple agencies coordinate their response; details are available in this report on emergency evacuations in Vall d'Uixò.
