Story By: James King, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

A woman skier from Madrid flew off a cliff and died after colliding with her husband at the Spanish resort of Astun, making it the third fatality at the same spot in the last six days.

The woman, who was not named, but who was 63, had been travelling down the slopes at the resort in the Aragon Valley in the Spanish Pyrenees when the deadly accident happened after she hit another skier shortly after midday on Monday, 17th January.

As a result of the collision, she lost her balance and fell off a cliff, plunging around 70 metres (230 feet). Although she was wearing a helmet, it did not help, and she died from her injuries.

A resort spokesperson said that the area where the tragedy happened was not especially difficult and the woman was a regular visitor who knew the slopes well.

The spokesperson said the woman died because she fell off the cliff after being involved in a collision.

It follows on from the death last Friday, 14th January, of a 71-year-old man from Barcelona, who left the track and fell into a ravine.

And two days before that, on Wednesday, 12th January, a 19-year-old man from the city of Huesca in north-eastern Spain was killed after going off-piste and also falling down a ravine.

Together with the 63-year-old woman, that means a total of three deaths at the same location in six days.

Astun has some 39 kilometres (24 miles) of marked pistes and is regarded as one of the most modern resorts in the Pyrenees. It stretches over two mountain valleys and includes a purpose-built town for resort visitors.

The deputy general director of the ski resort, Andres Pita, said: “I’ve been working here 23 years and I’ve never seen anything like it, an accumulation of so many tragedies in such a short period of time.”

He said the reason was also a mystery, as the snow conditions were not especially dangerous.