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One week after the alarm was first raised, the search continues for Gordon Simm, the 63 year old British tourist, who went missing whilst hiking alone up the Rio Chillar last Saturday. Despite extensive searches being conducted on the ground and from the air, no trace has so far been found.

The search is being coordinated by the Guardia Civil, who have deployed personnel from SEPRONA (Service for Protection of Nature) and EREIM (Mountain Rescue). Additionally the Guardia Civil have been using a helicopter to search from the air. Locally the Nerja Civil Protection Volunteers and the Malaga Fire Brigade Dog Unit have also been out looking for the missing man. Searches are also continuing on the Granada side of the regions border, in the area of ​​Los Castillejos and Peña Escrita (Almunecar).

The hike up the Rio Chillar is very popular in the summer months, with hundreds of visitors and locals alike heading up there every weekend. The source of the Rio Chillar is in the Sierra de Almijara at an altitude of around 1,200 metres, and runs along a course 17 km in length. The river finally meets the sea at Nerja, between El Chucho and El Playazo beaches. The river maintains a constant flow throughout the year, even in periods of severe drought, and has many waterfalls and pools. The start of the walk is flat and easily manageable, but the further up the river you travel, the more rugged the terrain becomes and the more experienced a hiker you need to be to continue.

The weekend before Gordon Simm went missing three people out walking in the natural park had to be rescued by a team from the Nerja Civil Protection. The hikers had been out walking along the Rio Chillar but became lost in an area known as El Canal (the channel), which has many cliffs and other hazards. They were successfully brought back down to the car park after alerting the emergency services with their mobile phones.

Last July, a 48 year old Dutch tourist went missing in the Rio Chillar area for more than two weeks, and despite extensive searches of the area she was only found by chance by a group of walkers. She was taken straight to the local hospital, but other than weight loss, was found to be completely unharmed by the experience.

Gordon Simm is 63 years of age, 5′ 9″ (1.75m) tall, 11 stone (70 kilos) in weight and he was wearing dark grey shorts and t-shirt, a backpack, hat and beige boots when last seen.

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