Protección Civil are heading the search for the missing Nigüelas man, Ivan Montiel, and have their command tent on open ground near the entrance to the village.
We spoke with them yesterday to find out how things were going and the person in charge explained that they are still concentrating in the nearby vicinity of the village. The first days, the search had been restricted to the urban area and immediate vicinity but now they were searching specific areas like caves and reservoirs (water reservoirs).
Iván, although a university professor in New York City, had decided to work at a distance via internet (home working) from his town of birth, Nigüelas. His parents still live here.
According to his family, he is not much of an outdoor person, being more used to city life rather than rural areas, which is why they know that he had not gone on a long hike. Neither was he dressed for one on the day that the disappeared.
Mostly during his presence in Nigüelas, he just went for strolls through the streets, taking a break from computer work, which probably explains why he left home without his wallet or phone.
For the above reasons, Proteccíon Civil backed by the Guardia Civil are still looking in the immediate vecinity of the village.
Last night was the fourth night and night temperatures during Friday night/Saturday morning will be just a few degrees above zero and today has rain forecast all day up here.
Luckily, informs personnel have now joined the search (GE207) and the weekends in Nigüelas bring dozens of hikers exploring the mountainside, tracks and riverbeds, so there will be more eyes than ever searching today.
(News: Niguelas, Lecrin Valley, Granada, Andalusia)