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Two women die in water at national park beauty spot

Oliver Slow & Oscar Edwards
BBC News
Getty Images A view of the Watkin Path, flat at this stage, with a bank on the left and a stream running alongside it. A mountain range can be seen in the distance with trees on the lower hills.Getty Images
Police said they were called to an area of Eryri national park on Wednesday evening

Two women have died after being found in a pool at Wales' largest national park.

North Wales Police said they were called to Nant Gwynant, Gwynedd, at 21:31 BST on Wednesday in Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia.

One woman was reported to be in the pool on the Watkin Path, one of the main routes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, Wales' tallest mountain.

The second woman was pulled from the water but pronounced dead at the scene, the force said.

"Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families and friends of both women," said Det Ch Insp Andy Gibson.

An investigation is under way, and potential witnesses are urged to come forward.

A mountain rescue team, as well as police, air ambulance and a coastguard helicopter were sent to the scene.

Jurgen Dissmann, chairman of Llanberis mountain rescue team, said it was a "complex and difficult callout" carried out alongside Aberglaslyn mountain rescue colleagues.

County councillor June Jones called the incident a "tragedy".

"It is obviously very sad news for the families and the sympathy of the whole valley is with the families," she said.

A woman wearing glasses with greying brown hair is wearing a jacket and a blue top. She is standing next to a road with fields in the background.
Councillor June Jones thanked the emergency services and the mountain rescue teams for their efforts

She told BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast that social media "encourages people" to go to these natural beauty spots.

"We don't know what has happened... social media encourages people to go to these wonderful places and of course the water can be extremely cold," she said.

More than 600,000 people climb up Yr Wyddfa every year, and the summit can get very busy during the summer season.

At 1,085m (3,559ft) it is the highest mountain in Wales and the busiest mountain in the UK.

George Herd, BBC News, reporting from Eryri

The Watkin Path is regarded as one of hardest routes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa.

But it is a relatively easy hike to the pools and waterfalls where the two women died.

They can be found close to the start of the path in the Nant Gwynant valley where they have become a social media sensation in recent times.

Hundreds of TikTok and Instagram videos can be found showing people taking a dip in the crystal clear water running off the mountain.

But after days of heavy rain across the national park, the gentle streams cascading into the pools have turned into torrents of foaming white water.

The water from the Afon Cwm Llan river has created a dangerous and powerful undercurrent that has flowed into the plunge pools below.