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| Glencoe avalanche: Four dead, say police | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Four people have died after an avalanche in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands, the Northern Constabulary has said. | Four people have died after an avalanche in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands, the Northern Constabulary has said. |
| A party of six climbers, three men and three women, were caught up in the avalanche on Bidean Nam Bian, at about 14:00. | A party of six climbers, three men and three women, were caught up in the avalanche on Bidean Nam Bian, at about 14:00. |
| One male member of the party raised the alarm. | One male member of the party raised the alarm. |
| The sixth climber, a woman, is in a serious condition in hospital in Fort William. | The sixth climber, a woman, is in a serious condition in hospital in Fort William. |
| It is understood the party were descending from a peak on the south side of the valley, when the slope they were on broke away. | It is understood the party were descending from a peak on the south side of the valley, when the slope they were on broke away. |
| The climbers were close to Church Door Buttress when the snow slope broke away. | |
| Five of them were swept down the mountain and engulfed by ice and snow. | Five of them were swept down the mountain and engulfed by ice and snow. |
| One female climber was recovered alive but has serious head injuries. | One female climber was recovered alive but has serious head injuries. |
| John Grieve, leader of Glencoe mountain rescue team, which co-ordinated the search, said the alarm was initially raised by two climbers - who were not part of the group of six - when they discovered one of the casualties lying in the snow. | |
| But, soon after, police were contacted by the male survivor from the climbing party, who told them more people were missing. | |
| Mr Grieve, who is in Spain and was not part of the search, said: "The first call to police was from two other people who had been on the mountain; they found someone lying next to where they were climbing. | |
| "So, the assumption was that it was just one casualty, but it became clear that there were others missing when they heard from the man who is safe." | |
| Mark Diggins, co-ordinator of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, said the weather conditions were fairly dry with little snow over the last four days. | |
| He said Saturday's avalanche risk was deemed "considerable", second lowest on a European four-point scale. | |
| The most serious is "very high", which is extremely rare in Britain. | |
| Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said it was an "appalling tragedy". | |
| "Our immediate thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been lost," he said. | |
| "To lose four people from a party of six is truly devastating. | |
| "The Scottish government will provide any support that we can and I would like to thank the police and mountain rescue team for their efforts in these difficult circumstances." | |
| Are you in the area? Have you been climbing in Glencoe recently? Please send your comments using the form below. | Are you in the area? Have you been climbing in Glencoe recently? Please send your comments using the form below. |