A British man has died after falling about 61 metres (200ft) while descending from the summit of a mountain in northern Spain, according to local law enforcement.

The 28-year-old mountaineer fell down a vertical gully on the east side of the Torrecerredo – the highest peak of the Cantabrian mountains – on Thursday afternoon, the Spanish Civil Guard for the Asturias region said.

The mountaineer’s remains were located after a rescue team aboard a helicopter flew over the area, the Civil Guard said.

Two specialists were lowered to retrieve the man’s body and his belongings which had been scattered during the fall.

The incident occurred during the descent, about 20 metres below the Torrecerredo peak, the Civil Guard said.

The mountaineer’s body was transported to La Morgal, a regional sports and aviation facility in Llanera near the Asturian city of Gijon.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said it had contacted local authorities about the death.

Torrecerredo, which has an elevation of about 2,649 metres, is the highest peak of the Picos de Europa mountain range, which is part of the larger Cantabrian Mountains range.