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Avalanche in Scottish Highlands sparks fears for climbers One man dies and four are in hospital after tragic day on Scottish hills and mountains
(about 1 hour later)
Four mountain rescue teams have converged on Creag Meagaidh in the Highlands following an avalanche that is feared to have left a number of people trapped. One man has died and four people are in hospital following a devastating day on Scotland’s hills and mountainsides.
Two people were taken to hospital and the search for others is continuing after climbing gear was spotted in the dislodged snow. One was in a serious condition, the BBC said. Four mountain rescue teams were scrambled to Creag Meagaidh, in the Highlands, on Wednesday afternoon following reports of an avalanche by a group of climbers who came across the snow slide and spotted equipment believed to belong to those trapped underneath.
Police said that the avalanche was reported by a group of climbers who came across the snow slide and spotted equipment believed to belong to those trapped underneath. Two people were transferred to hospital, one in a serious condition, and the search for further survivors was suspended at about 6pm after one of those rescued confirmed there were only two people in his climbing party.
The coastguard helicopter that was involved in the search for climbers Rachel Slater and Tim Newton, who have been missing on Ben Nevis since Sunday, has also been diverted to the Creag Meagaidh area. The search for the couple was called off due to the bad weather. The Creag Meagaidh range, on the northern side of Glen Spean, is one of Scotland’s most popular areas for mountain sports, famous for its steep cliffs that offer a challenge to experienced climbers. The avalanche risk for the area was designated to be “considerable” on Wednesday.
Creag Meagaidh is one of Scotland’s most popular areas for climbing, with steep cliffs that offer a challenge for experienced climbers. The avalanche risk on Creag Meagaidh was designated as “considerable” on Wednesday afternoon. But the avalanche, which happened about 19 miles north-east of Ben Nevis, also diverted resources from the ongoing search for missing climbers Rachel Slater and Tim Newton. A coastguard helicopter that had been leading the search for the couple was diverted north to attend the avalanche at about 4pm.
Earlier, Police Scotland said that one of three elderly hillwalkers who had been missing overnight in Dumfries and Galloway had died. Mountain rescuers had been searching for the couple from Bradford, West Yorkshire, who disappeared on Britain’s highest mountain during a weekend climbing trip. The pair had not left information about their planned route.
The three had been missing in the Southern Uplands since Tuesday afternoon, and were found by search teams 2.5 miles (4km) east of the village of Durisdeer. The search has been severely hampered by poor weather conditions on the mountain, and it was only deemed safe to resume it late on Wednesday morning.
Bobby Thomson, 64, George Crosbie, 73, and Jeffrey Stewart, 74, told family they would be home by 3.30pm but relatives called the police two hours later when they failed to return. Earlier, Donald Paterson, from Lochaber mountain rescue team, said his colleagues had not given up hope of finding the couple alive: “It’s only two days, we’re only looking at two days at the moment. We’ve actually had people on the Ben who have survived for four days.
“That’s why at this stage, we’re certainly not giving up and we’ll continue to do our best until we hear otherwise or hear any positive information that we can rely on otherwise.”
The couple are believed to have travelled to Ben Nevis for a Valentine’s trip. The alarm was raised on Monday morning by Slater’s employers after she failed to arrive for work.
John Stevenson, who is leading the rescue effort, told BBC Radio Scotland: “We’re expecting more bad weather so we’ve put everything on hold and are reviewing it.
“As time goes on it’s very difficult, the weather conditions have been really bad and that no one has heard from them or seen them is a worry. You always have hope but as time goes on that diminishes quite rapidly.”
As the searches continued in the Highlands, Police Scotland confirmed that one of three elderly hillwalkers who had been missing overnight in Dumfries and Galloway had died.
The three men, who live locally and were regular trekkers, had disappeared in the Southern Uplands on Tuesday afternoon. They were spotted on open ground by a search and rescue helicopter about three miles east of the village of Durisdeer.
Bobby Thomson, 64, George Crosbie, 73, and Jeffrey Stewart, 74, told family members that they would return by 3.30pm on Tuesday and relatives called the police two hours later when they failed to appear.
A post on the Facebook page of Moffat mountain rescue team described the weather conditions overnight as “very wet and windy, very little visibility”.
The two surviving hillwalkers were being treated for hypothermia in hospital.The two surviving hillwalkers were being treated for hypothermia in hospital.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said conditions around Ben Nevis were too treacherous to continue the search for Slater, 24, and Newton, 27.
Rescue team leader John Stevenson told BBC Radio Scotland: “We’re expecting more bad weather so we’ve put everything on hold and are reviewing it.
“There were high winds yesterday which have died down a bit but it’s still very blustery on the hill and the areas we want to look at have had a lot of fresh snowfall blown in so they are very unstable and we wouldn’t like to put people in there until there is a bit of settlement.
“It’s always a worry when you’re putting people in to these areas. It’s quite scary and very hard work in these conditions.”
Slater and Newton, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, went climbing on Ben Nevis over the weekend and were reported overdue on Monday.
Stevenson said: “As time goes on it’s very difficult, the weather conditions have been really bad and no-one has heard from them or seen them is a worry. You always have hope but as time goes on that diminishes quite rapidly.”