An inquest has been opened into the death of a Corwen man killed in a paragliding accident in Spain.

Darren Watson, 46, was on a week-long course in Sierra Del Buey, Jumilla, near Murcia, when the tragedy occurred on October 10.

It is understood that he had passed his exams and was coming up to his fourth and final run of the day.

His partner of 26 years, Mark Ashton, said at the time that a freak gust of wind blew Darren into a mountain and he suffered internal injuries. His experienced companions and First Responders tried in vain to save him.

At a brief hearing in Ruthin John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, said the matter had been referred to him by undertakers following the repatriation of Mr Watson’s body.

“I have very limited information, most of which I know having come from press reports rather than any admissible evidence,” he said.

He said it would probably take some time to obtain information from the authorities so adjourned the inquest to a date to be fixed.

Mr Watson, an international tax consultant, of Westbourne Terrace, Corwen, was a sports enthusiast, and he and his partner moved to Corwen from Cheshire five years ago to enjoy the Berwyn Mountains and surrounding areas.He led walks during Corwen Walking Festival and often walked up to 15 miles in the hills with his beloved German Shepherd Luna. He was also a retained firefighter at the Corwen station.

Mr Ashton said his partner had “an enormous zest for life” and was a seasoned traveller. They were considering retiring to live in Alicante, Spain, where they owned a house.