The Oviedo-based judiciary recently delivered a verdict in a case centered on a canoeing descent organized for a group of schoolchildren along the Cares River. The tragedy unfolded on July 3, 2020, near Mildón in Peñamellera Alta, when a river siphon trapped 14-year-old Ana Reyzábal, a Madrid student, leading to her death. The investigation highlighted serious lapses in planning, supervision, and safety protocols for a whitewater activity involving minors.
In a detailed ruling, Judge María Paz González-Tascón of the 3rd Criminal Court of Oviedo sentenced Jesús Madrazo, owner of the Canoe Aventura Trophy company, to four years in prison on a manslaughter charge. Three employees who were responsible for supervising the participants on the day of the event received two-year prison terms each. These workers, Borja Berdial, Gustavo Saiz, and Alfredo Gutierrez, were in charge of guiding the group down the river despite lacking the necessary qualifications and experience for such an undertaking.
The court acquitted Pelayo de Gregorio, who oversaw the Layos Camp de Comillas surf camp in Cantabria, where Ana Reyzábal resided. His only involvement was a special charge related to the child’s family, which carried a possible three-year sentence. The proceedings established that the camp operators were unaware of the risk inherent in the chosen descent and had subcontracted the activity without ensuring adequate safety measures.
As part of the judgment, the defendants were ordered to pay 204,000 euros in compensation to the deceased girl’s parents and siblings, aligning with the Public Ministry’s request. The trial demonstrated a clear lack of training among both the company president and the three instructors, revealing a failure to conduct a whitewater activity with a responsible group of schoolchildren.
Witnesses described the fear and difficulties encountered during the descent, particularly at the site known as El Monolito, a large rock that bisected the riverbed and contributed to the capsize that involved Ana Reyzábal and another participant. The remaining student managed to swim briefly by clinging to the overturned craft, but Ana remains tragically stuck in a crevice, unable to free herself as time passed. The rescue operation was prolonged, and GEAS eventually recovered the body in a challenging effort after extended underwater searches.
They shouldn’t have fallen
Investigators noted that the three guides should not have taken inexperienced, unaccompanied minors down the river. The section of the channel where the descent occurred is described as highly perilous, with conditions that shift constantly. Other operators in the area enforce age limits and restrict unaccompanied minors to older participants. Authorities also indicated that the safety equipment used was insufficient for the realities of the river, and no thorough safety check had been performed prior to the descent. Local residents and officials expressed concern about the inherent danger of the route and the potential consequences if proper precautions were not followed.
The magistrate’s sentence matched the initial request of the Public Ministry, which had proposed four-year terms for the four defendants from the adventure company and later adjusted its position regarding the supervising monitors, recommending two-year terms for them. The court found that the businessman chose not to participate in the activity and transferred control of the enterprise to the three supervising defendants, without guaranteeing the necessary qualifications, facilities, or explicit written instructions for safe operation.