The 22-year-old tourist died tragically in December of last yearZachary Cook died while on holiday in Malaga(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A young British tourist died after falling from a 20-metre height while on a climbing holiday in Spain with his father last December, an inquest has heard.

Avon Coroner’s Court heard how Zachary Cook, 22, was exploring a climbing route alongside dad Jonathan in Malaga on December 11, 2024.

The video games programmer from Winterbourne, South Gloucestershire, decided to detach both of his safety clips while traversing a rock face.

Moments later, he suffered a fall which resulted in him sustaining fatal injuries.

Coroner’s officer Alexis Camp told the hearing in a written statement: “They were climbing a route that required them to have two safety clips on their person and on the safety wires on the rock face.

“Prior to the start of the climb, they were informed to only unclip one of the safety clips from the safety wire at any one time and never to unclip both safety clips at the same time.”

Mr Camp continued: “Around halfway through the route, Zachary unclipped both of his safety clips from the safety wire, which resulted in him falling around 20 metres below.”

The court heard that a group of medics were in the vicinity and went to Mr Cook’s aid but he died later at the scene.

Area coroner Dr Peter Harrowing said a post-mortem examination was conducted in Spain and gave Mr Cook’s cause of death as poly trauma resulting from the fall.

Mr Harrowing said: “The family have no concerns surrounding any of the treatment or care received by Zachary from any of the medical professionals involved.

“They believe this was a terrible accident and nothing more could have been done.”

He recorded a conclusion of misadventure, adding: “He fell around 20 metres while climbing causing him to suffer traumatic injuries.

“The conclusion as to the death based on the evidence will be recorded as misadventure.

“The family (are) not in attendance today but I nonetheless send my most sincerest condolences to the family and all the friends of Zachary at this time.”

The Climbing Academy (TCA), a UK-based company that operates climbing walls and facilities, paid tribute to their late “cherished member”.

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In a post on Instagram published five months ago, they wrote: “We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Zac Cook, a cherished member of the TCA community.

“Zac was a passionate climber and a valued part of our community, known for his love of the sport and his kindness to those around him.”