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Two ice climbers die after rescue | |
(30 minutes later) | |
Two ice climbers rescued after a night spent in "dreadful" conditions in the Cairngorms have died. | |
The men, aged 18 and 23 and from Aberdeen University Climbing Club, were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. | |
It is suspected the men were caught out by extreme weather in Coire an t-Sneachda in the Northern Corries on Sunday. | |
Police said their details were not being released at this stage. | |
The first man was found at 1052 GMT on Monday by search dogs. The second was found an hour later, 400 yards away. | The first man was found at 1052 GMT on Monday by search dogs. The second was found an hour later, 400 yards away. |
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 RAF spokesman Michael Mulford | 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 RAF spokesman Michael Mulford |
They were taken to hospital by RAF Sea King helicopter. | They were taken to hospital by RAF Sea King helicopter. |
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. |
Earlier, RAF spokesman Michael Mulford described what the searchers were faced with. | 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." |
The second climber is carefully taken off the helicopter | The second climber is carefully taken off the helicopter |
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. |