A Belgian and a French tourist died while hiking in Albania. They had been exploring a nature reserve when they both fell down a cliff.
Albanian police identified the Belgian victim as Myrthe Baets, a 25-year-old originally from the Flemish municipality of Elewijt. She had been travelling Europe with her boyfriend.
The French tourist has been named by authorities as Joanna B.
According to the Albanian news site Vox, both women had gone hiking without a guide near the Valbona valley. The area is known as a dangerous spot for hikers due to its mountainous terrain. A German tourist previously died there in May of this year.
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The same fate fell on Myrthe and Joanna who slipped and fell to their deaths down a cliff and into a ravine. An avalanche is said to have occurred afterwards.
Emergency services and officers were called and immediately rushed to the scene but their initial search for the hikers was made difficult due to “bad weather”.
Both victims’ bodies were eventually found with Albanian authorities working with their Belgian and French counterparts to return them home.
