A 20-year-old Shropshire man has died after plunging into a river while on a rafting trip in Spain.

The man, who has not yet been named, is thought to have fallen into the water while he was with two friends in the southern Pyrenees.

Two specialist mountain rescue teams were sent out, along with a helicopter, after taking a emergency call from one of his friends.

The call was made at about 4.30pm Spanish time on Saturday.But the man was dead by the time the crews reached his body and pulled it out of the freezing water.

It is thought the group had left their car at a nearby beauty spot and were in the Catalan Pyrenees, near the town of Villallonga de Ter, when the accident happened.

The dead man’s friends, aged 25 to 30 and both from the UK, were treated for shock at the scene. His family are believed to come from Shrewsbury, but it is thought he had been living in Spain.

Police in the Pyrenees region where the accident happened have now launched an investigation into the tragedy.

A spokesman said: “Everything is pointing to his death being the result of an accident.”

A Foreign Office spokesman today confirmed that they had been informed of the death and were in contact with the man’s family.

“A British national died on Saturday, April 21, in the Pyrenees region,” he said.

“Our consular staff are providing assistance.”

The spokesman added that Spanish police had informed the Foreign Office about the death.

“It seems to have been a tragic accident,” he said.

The Ripolles region, where the accident happened, is one of three regions that form the southernmost part of the Pyrenees inland from Girona.

It is an all-year-round mountain sports destination popular with Spanish and foreign tourists.

The death is the second of a British tourist in the Pyrenees this month.

Scottish Widows chief executive Chris Phillips, 50, died on April 3 after becoming trapped in a snowstorm on the French/Spanish border.

The pensions firm head died during a pilgrimage to the cathedral town of Santiago de Compostela.

By Tom Warren