Irish holidaymakers sparked a massive air and land rescue -- after getting lost as they tried to climb a Spanish mountain in 90 degree heat.

Irish holidaymakers sparked a massive air and land rescue -- after getting lost as they tried to climb a Spanish mountain in 90 degree heat.The Dublin trio phoned friends after running out of water and succumbing to dehydration as they attempted to reach the summit of La Concha overlooking the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.
And their pals made matters worse after alerting emergency services -- by trying to reach the stricken men in their beachwear and forcing a second separate rescue after losing their way too. Last night the cost of the rescue was being put at more than €25,000. A source on the rescue team said: "The rescue involved more than more than 40 people on foot, in cars and a helicopter including civil protection officers and police. "The cost is going to run into several thousand pounds. "Trying to climb a mountain in southern Spain at midday on one of the hottest days of the year without enough water or proper clothes and equipment is a pretty stupid thing to do," the source said. "They'd run out of water by the time we found them and were pretty exhausted. "They could quite easily have died if we hadn't got to them in time."
The three men, all in their 20s, set off just after midday on Tuesday to try to reach the top of La Concha, a striking mountain 1215 metres high sitting at the end of the Sierra Blanca mountain range. The three-hour-trek is popular with locals and expats in spring, autumn and winter. Rescue workers were alerted just after 3pm by friends of the men who were thought to have been sunbathing when they received a call on their mobile phones from their distressed pals. They were taken to hospital suffering from dehydration