British woman lay unconscious beside her dead husband, 74, for nine hours after they fell into a 7ft ditch while walking to their home on Costa del Sol
- The fall happened on the San Juan de Capistrano residential estate, north of the town of Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol
- The unnamed couple fell while taking a shortcut home from the town centre
- Local media reported that the ditch was created by a flood 15 years ago but the local community had been refused permission to carry out repairs
A British woman lay unconscious next to her dead husband for nine hours after the pair fell into a ditch near their Costa del Sol home.
The expat was rescued after coming to and alerting the emergency services.
Nothing could be done to save her 74-year-old husband, who died after hitting his head on a stone in the seven-foot-deep ditch.
On Monday, it was reported that the ditch had been created by a flood nearly 15 years ago but that the local community in charge of the area were awaiting permission from a second body to carry out repairs.
The British couple at the centre of the tragedy have not yet been named.
They are understood to have fallen into the ditch as they took a shortcut to head home on a residential estate called San Juan de Capistrano, north of the town of Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol.
A British woman lay unconscious next to her dead husband for nine hours after the pair fell into a ditch near their Costa del Sol home. Barriers have been erected around the ditch and the entrance to the path (pictured) in the San Juan de Capistrano residential estate near Nerja
Local reports said the couple had just returned from the town centre by bus and had ordered a takeaway pizza and drinks at a bar by a bus stop.
The fall happened around 9pm on March 6, but the survivor was not able to raise the alarm until 6am the following day.
Details of the incident, published by Malaga-based daily Diario Sur, have only just emerged.
A local living in the same estate as the couple said: ‘The place where they fell is actually a gulley which got worse after a flash flood in 2007.
‘The flash flood washed away a walkway that was there.
‘The regional government had given permission for its repair but the estate managers were waiting for a building permit from the town hall.
‘It was taped off and residents knew they shouldn’t have gone along there but it’s very tempting as a short cut.’
Another local resident added: ‘They were walking into the gulley on what was the pathway that was broken with the flooding.
‘It was night-time and it had been raining.
‘The woman and her husband had been living in the area for some time but they kept themselves very much to themselves.
‘She is okay physically but obviously very distressed.
‘Neighbours and friends are rallying round to support her and keep an eye on her.’
Local reports said the couple had just returned from the town centre by bus and had ordered a takeaway pizza and drinks at a bar by a bus stop (pictured) before their fall
Barriers have now been erected around the ditch while a more permanent solution is found.
Last June, a British expat died when he fell into an uncovered manhole in the holiday resort of Calahonda, an hour’s drive west of Nerja.
Richie Kennedy, 39, died instantly from head injuries after tumbling down the hole, but his body lay undiscovered for 15 hours.
The expat, originally from Brighton, East Sussex, had been walking home from seeing friends when he tripped and fell.
His distraught partner, Claus Dueholm, recounted finding Kennedy’s body.
The fall happened around 9pm on March 6, but the survivor was not able to raise the alarm until 6am the following day. Pictured: The San Juan de Capistrano residential estate where the couple lived
‘I called an ambulance and helped his stepdad jumping down into the 8-foot-deep hole but we couldn’t help him out of there until about two hours later, the 56-year-old hotel worker said in August.
‘He was completely cold at this point, he had been lying there for more than 15 hours.
‘The police and the people from the ambulance couldn’t get to him, so it wasn’t until the fire brigade came with a ladder and they finally got him out.’