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Two missing ice climbers found | Two missing ice climbers found |
(20 minutes later) | |
Two climbers missing in "dreadful conditions" in the Cairngorms have been found and taken to hospital. | |
The pair were caught in an avalanche in Coire an t-Sneachda in the Northern Corries. | |
The pair, aged 18 and 23 and from the Aberdeen area, were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Their conditions are not known. | |
An RAF helicopter, mountain rescuers and search dogs were involved in the search. | |
The pair had been reported missing on Sunday. | |
We have managed to recover one man and get him to hospital RAF spokesman Michael Mulford | We have managed to recover one man and get him to hospital RAF spokesman Michael Mulford |
The first climber to be found was spotted by an RAF helicopter which called for an ambulance and picked him up. | The first climber to be found was spotted by an RAF helicopter which called for an ambulance and picked him up. |
The second man was located about 400 yards away. | |
A search was launched overnight with a helicopter from Lossiemouth using an infra-red camera and four mountain rescue team members on the ground. | A search was launched overnight with a helicopter from Lossiemouth using an infra-red camera and four mountain rescue team members on the ground. |
The operation resumed on Monday morning and involved 30 members of Cairngorm and RAF Kinloss mountain rescue teams and a search dog team. | The operation resumed on Monday morning and involved 30 members of Cairngorm and RAF Kinloss mountain rescue teams and a search dog team. |
Before the men were found, rescue services spoke of the difficult conditions in the area. | Before the men were found, rescue services spoke of the difficult conditions in the area. |
Winds in the area gusted at up to 70 mph, lowering the temperature to -20C, and there was deep snow. | Winds in the area gusted at up to 70 mph, lowering the temperature to -20C, and there was deep snow. |
'Avalanche danger' | 'Avalanche danger' |
Earlier, RAF spokesman Michael Mulford described what the searchers were faced with. | |
He said: "It is a relatively small area but conditions are really awful. | He said: "It is a relatively small area but conditions are really awful. |
"You have got a lot of snow up there, you have got an avalanche danger. This is the difficulty with that whole area of Coire an t-Sneachda." | "You have got a lot of snow up there, you have got an avalanche danger. This is the difficulty with that whole area of Coire an t-Sneachda." |
One veteran mountaineer told BBC Scotland that Coire an t-Sneachda is a honey pot for climbers because it is easy to get to and offers grade one to nine climbs for beginners to the highly experienced. | One veteran mountaineer told BBC Scotland that Coire an t-Sneachda is a honey pot for climbers because it is easy to get to and offers grade one to nine climbs for beginners to the highly experienced. |
In March, an RAF Sea King had to make an emergency landing in the corries after its rotors iced up. | In March, an RAF Sea King had to make an emergency landing in the corries after its rotors iced up. |
The crew had to abandon the helicopter, which was eventually flown back out after heating experts de-iced it. | The crew had to abandon the helicopter, which was eventually flown back out after heating experts de-iced it. |
The helicopter got into difficulty in a blizzard during a call-out to rescue a man injured while climbing in Coire an t-Sneachda, Gaelic for corrie of the snow. | The helicopter got into difficulty in a blizzard during a call-out to rescue a man injured while climbing in Coire an t-Sneachda, Gaelic for corrie of the snow. |