A touching tribute has been shared after a woman from Manchester died in a 65ft fall on a mountain in Snowdonia.
Maria Eftimova, a former University of Salford student, died from her injuries after falling into steep terrain during a group hike.
Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue ‘did everything within their powers’ to save the 28-year-old after the tragic incident, but she sadly died.
A fundraising appeal has now been launched by her loved ones to cover the ‘significant financial burden’ of having Maria repatriated to her family in Bulgaria.
In the fundraiser, organiser Victoria Critchley paid a touching tribute to Maria, describing her as ‘ambitious, bright and cherished’.
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It reads: “We are reaching out with heavy hearts to ask for your support for the family of Maria Eftimova. Our dear friend tragically lost her life in an accident whilst scrambling Tryfan on Saturday 22nd of February 2025.
“Maria was an ambitious, bright and cherished 28 year old, whose vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her. She had a passion for engineering, having studied Civil Engineering at the University of Salford and a love for extreme sports.
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“Her biggest passion being Snowboarding, which she was super excited for and looking forward to doing again on her upcoming trip to Austria.
“She had an insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world’s beauty. Tragically, she was taken from her family far far far too soon!
Touching tribute paid to Manchester woman who died after horrifying fall on Snowdonia mountain. Credit: GoFundMe
“Words cannot express the devastation her family and our community are experiencing.
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“Adding to their immense grief, the family, who reside in Bulgaria, face a significant financial burden to repatriate Maria and give her the dignified farewell with her loved ones that she deserves. The costs associated with international repatriation are substantial, and we want to alleviate the added burden/stress so they can focus on mourning their precious daughter.
“Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a tangible difference in enabling the family to grieve without this added worry. Please join us in offering them comfort and support during this incredibly difficult time.
“By sharing human kindness through even the tiniest donation, we can demonstrate that they are not walking this path alone. Any and all donations made will go to Maria’s family.
“Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue attended and did everything within their powers to save Maria. We’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude for their efforts and will create a separate fundraiser.
“Thank you for your kindness and generosity. With love from Maria’s friends and Family.”
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Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue said: “A group was ascending the north-ridge when one of them fell 20 metres into steep terrain. Passers-by with climbing equipment abseiled down and made her safe, and a team member already nearby made his way down and started CPR.
“Colleagues from @welshambulanceservice stood by at base while the @maritimecoastguard helicopter dropped team members onto the mountain.
“Unfortunately, the casualty had not survived her injuries, and she was brought down to Oggie base.”
11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Daisy Jackson -
28th February 2025 
