The Following was translated by google from the article that appeared in the Venezuelan newpapers at the time, The Birmingham Evening Picked up on this afterwards and a photo of the article has previously been posted by Rachel. If anyone can read Spainish and would like to edit this please let me know,there are some bits which do not read so well

The most important sectors of Merida, especially sports, are today moved by tragic news of the death of the young Jorge Eduardo Burguera, 21 and Jorge Morales, 18, both from Merida, who at that time descended from the Pico Bolivar and accompanied also by British sportsman John Coote, 33 years old, the result with a wound of consideration.

Jorge Eduardo Burguera, a fourth-year engineering student at the University of Los Andes (ULA), and president of the Federation of Andinismo of Venezuela and a member of the centre of hiking and mountaineering of the same institution, was the oldest of the Merida mountaineers. Offering his life in the practice of his favourite sport and in different opportunities, he had been the main driving force of successful days abroad. I participated in an excursion to Ecuador, where the most important summits climbed. He also presided over a similar day in Colombia, which was also successful.

Jorges Morales, younger than Burguera, was also a veteran mountaineer with numerous ascents in the Sierra Nevada. He was a high school student and was preparing to enter the University of the Andes.

The Englishman Coote, came to Merida of sight. but as he does not know the region. He requested help from the Centre for Hiking and Mountaineering of the ULA to ascend the 5007 meters of Pico Bolivar. Burguera and Morales jumped at the chance, as often did, to take the visitor to the highest peak in Venezuela.

In the station of Barinitas of the teleferic they said yesterday before leaving that they would be back in the last hours of the afternoon. The experience of both allowed them to calculate the time it would take as they had ascended successfully on many other occasions .

According to calculations made by compatriots of the two missing young people, the ascent to Pico Bolivar would have been undertaken near noon yesterday.

However, when it was five o'clock in the afternoon, the personnel of the Pico Espejo (teleferic) station, the highest in the system, began to worry and then, a few hours later, declared the three climbers lost.

The manager of the teleferic, Luis Davila Fonseca, was informed of the surprise and immediately arranged the organisation of a mountain rescue team that went out to look for the three athletes. The weather in the Sierra Nevada was totally adverse, because there was excessive cold and it was snowing constantly.

However, at one o'clock in the morning, from Pico Espejo they informed Merida that an accident had occurred and that the young Jorge Eduardo Burguera had died. Jorge Morales, was wounded. He had a broken leg and a head wound. The Englishman Coote, had suffered some injuries, but as he had been able to move had opted to try to find the route to the station of Pico Espejo, but given the novelty of the ground had got lost on route.

It was learned that the accident had occurred because some of the mountaineers who had left early for the Pico Bolivar, found Jorge Morales, to whom they offered all the help they could. They sheltered him and gave him some attention. They could not return to the Pico Espejo, given that time did not allow it.

THE VERSIONS OF THE ACCIDENT

Ali Palacios, a nurse at the service of the teleferic and mountaineer, stated today that the versions that were available were that the accident had taken place at the La Escalera site, about 40 meters from the summit of Pico Bolivar. It is believed, he said, that the rope that held the three athletes, snapped and they all fell into the void, Burguerar’s fall resulted in wounds and fractures that presumably produced the death almost instantaneously. The canyon? was about 70 meters deep, but because of the inaccessibility of the place, the rescue of the corpse could be possible delayed until the morning

Jorge Morales was still alive today and was taken to Pico Espejo, where a team of doctors, including the Rector of the University of Los Ander, Dr. Pedro Rincon Gutierrez, Carlos Chalbaud Zerpa, well-known climber, Enrique Febres, Cardenas Davila and Diego Davilla, paid him due attention. Rector Rincon Gutierrez had called Merida to urgently seek the specialist, Pedro del Corral, because it was believed that there would be a need for a dedicated surgical intervention.

Near midday the news reached Merida of the death of the young Jorge Morales. It was said that he had suffered serious head injuries.

At one in the afternoon, the body of Jorge Morales was brought to this city by a team of climbers and firefighters, there were family members who could not stand the situation and externalized their dollar

Jorge Eduardo Burguera was a veteran of the heights, not only of Merida, but of other countries. Together with other members of the ULA mountaineering club, he had climbed Pico Bolivar an infinite number of times, even because of his northern fiancé. He had also conquered the summits of La Concha, El Humboldt, El Bompland, El Toro, El Leon. It is decaying, practically conquered all the summits of the Sierra Nevada. His father, the well-known merchant of the same name, was surprised because he thought his son was a true veteran in the difficult sport of mountaineering.

not only the relatives of the deceased youth were shocked, but also all the members of the centre of hiking and mountaineering of the ULA. In general, the sport of Merida was today a lute, since both Burguera and Morales were loved, especially in the student sectors, which was their closest world and in which they developed and projected in their main sports activity the mountaineering.

the manager of the teleferic luis davila fonseca and the nurse ali palaces reported this noon that the corpse of Burguera had been rescued and, at about one o'clock in the afternoon, was transferred on the shoulders of firemen and climbers up mirror peak, to bring it there to Merida. Also rescued was the Englishman John Coote, who had gone astray when trying to return to the station of the cable car to give the news and ask for help. the corpse of Burguera was brought at three in the afternoon to merida. The Englishman Coote was taken to the hospital in the Andes.

The last accident that had occurred in the Sierra Nevada, was exactly 19 months ago when also killed the young Maximilian Rangel. On that occasion, Jorge Burguera, his partner of studies and height, participated in the rescue of the Cadavier.

John was my PhD supervisor 1976-1980 & I continued as postdoc reseacher in John's Lab until early 1982. Andrew Ramage is a systems pharmacologist with a focus on the control of heart and blood vessels and shared John's interest in the role of the chemical 5-HT (serotonin) plus its receptors in the central nervous system. Alex Gourine consulted John regarding studies on vagal mediated cardioprotection & strength of cardiac contractility.

John frequently visited us on his many trips to London when we discussed science and various other things - often over a drink.

The last time I saw John was in early September when he visited my home in Snowdonia. We had been planning the get together for some time: Snowdonia was a very special place for John as of course he new it well from his years of climbing. I really enjoyed walking with him, our conversations, and sharing some food and drink.....but not too much! John enjoyed his visit and my last note to him was "Let's do it again soon".

During 2016 John agreed to Guest Edit a Special Issue (SI) for Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic & Clinical on the nervous control of the heart. It was completed in record time. It was a pleasure to commission and collaborate with John on his SI.

I had just arrived at my place in Wales when I heard of "Sad News" via a text from John's mobile. I will miss John my mentor and friend, but will always be glad that we finally managed to organize our meeting in Snowdonia.

I have many happy memories of John in the Department of Physiology at the University of Birmingham. For me as an undergraduate student, he was an inspirational teacher, fostering a desire within me to explore Physiology. For me as a PhD student, he was a constant source of advice and support. I was fortunate to have him as my PhD internal examiner where he made sure at i was put at ease from the start, but still demanding critical discussion. For me as a colleague, he was a kind and gentle human being with a good sense of humour. I once has the pleasure of being on his table at a Physiological Society dinner and remember him inhaling helium from a balloon to make his voice squeak- which sums up his ability to inject fun into everything. Despite everything that he achieved, he was the most down to earth and approachable person in existance. He will be remembered with much fondness.

John, enjoying himself in Scotland at our wedding in September 2001.

John was in so many ways my hero. We came from similar backgrounds, profited from the post-war opening up of university education to the many, and started climbing together with the University Mountaineering Club. Similarly we pursued academic careers, both being appointed at much the same time. 

Our first “big expedition” was to Greenland in 1968, the principal objective of which was to climb Ingolfsfjaeld on the East coast : a most impressive and hitherto unclimbed peak. The aspect which the mountain presented towards our base camp looked quite hopeless. Perhaps the other side of the mountain, hitherto totally unexplored, might offer more of a chance. Accordingly John and I, who had formed a climbing team, were taken in the expedition’s inflatable Zodiac-type boat along the coast to the other side of the mountain, profiting from the strip of clear sea between the shore and the pack-ice further out. We were deposited by the team, together with our climbing gear, some 3 to 4 days supply of food and fuel, and a promise that they would return to pick us up in a few days.

Next day John and I took an obvious line towards the mountain which, although looking technically difficult from this new side, revealed a line of weakness which could permit access to an impressive ridge leading to the summit. We climbed up to the line of weakness and, yes, it would “go”. We made a dump of the climbing gear and returned to our tent by the shore, pleased with ourselves and looking forward to a return to push to the summit the following day.

However we woke the following day to find the weather had changed with a high wind and zero visibility due to sea mist swept in by the wind. Nothing to do but stay put for the day …. and the next day … and the next day … etc. The others had not been able to pick us up because the wind had swept the pack-ice back into the shore preventing any access by boat. We were cut off, and with very limited supplies. The prospect of getting back to base camp over land looked very uncertain. It would involve crossing an awkward flank of Ingolfsfjaeld which descended right to the sea, and then crossing a very heavily crevassed glacier …. for which we would first need to recuperate our gear stashed up on the mountain. We agreed that our best hope was to eat little, conserve energy by remaining in our sleeping bags and await rescue by boat should the pack-ice clear. Only when we felt that our physical strength was weakening by hunger should we seek to climb our way out and back to base. Well, after a few days, the weather did improve, the pack-ice did retreat, and out through the mist appeared the Zodiac to collect us.

The intensity of that week sticks in my mind, sharing a tent with John in a situation in which the outcome was uncertain. We were both early on in our careers; we talked about our respective research interests; we talked about the hills; we talked about many aspects of life in general; and we shared many thoughts. I have had the very greatest respect for John ever since.

In our last exchange of emails just a couple of weeks before he died, he wrote about the things that he was still doing and that "all is enjoyable". I replied  ….   

“None of us can do either what we used to do, or what we would like to be still doing. But to enjoy what one can is a blessing………… Keep fit and enjoy what you can while you can !”

John certainly did all of that, sharing his enjoyment of the hills with so many of his friends and pursuing his physiological studies right to the end.

I was so sad to hear about John - I called him my scientific grandfather since I was the first of Mike Gilbey's PhD students.  I will always remember his unbridled passion for science, kindness and interest in our research and his gentle sense of humour that always came with a ready laugh.  He never ceased to ask questions of science and I marvelled at this endless knowledge and ability to see things from a completely different perspective that made you question again everything that we produced. He did not seem to age in the 28 years that I knew him and his energy put us all to shame.  I will always miss him at meetings of the Physiological Society since he was a true gentleman of science.

John with his "favourites' Susan Pyner, Caron Dean and Jane Deering (Gardner)

Here’s the newspaper extract of an eventful trip up Bolivar peak in Venezuela...