Two hikers, believed to be pilgrims, from the UK have been found alive after becoming disoriented in the Pyrenees.
The married couple survived five days in the wooded foothills of the Pyrenees. With no food, their only drinking water was from troughs for livestock.
They had crossed over into Spain from Saint Jean de Pied de Port in France. The town is the starting point of the Camino Francés, which is the most popular trail of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (pictured).
The Spanish rescue service said the couple left France on Friday armed with just a picnic lunch and a small amount of water.
Their attempt to contact emergency services failed when their mobile phone batteries ran out before they could name or describe their location.
But on the ground they laid brightly coloured clothing in the shape of a cross which eventually led a mountain rescue team to spot them from a search helicopter. Rescue came around 6pm on Tuesday.
They were found to be “dehydrated, hungry and exhausted”, according to SOS Navarra.
Thousands of pilgrims each year walk the route between Saint Jean de Pied de Port and Roncesvalles in Spain.
It is likely that the pair, who have not been named but are reported to be from Cambridge, were also pilgrims.
