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Hurt climber airlifted to safety | Hurt climber airlifted to safety |
(about 2 hours later) | |
An ice climber who was stranded on a cliff after breaking his leg has been brought to safety after a rescue operation involving up to 50 people. | |
Teams from RAF Leuchars and Lossiemouth braved blizzards to save the man, who was located at 0430 GMT on Thursday in Raeburns Gully, Deeside, Aberdeenshire. | Teams from RAF Leuchars and Lossiemouth braved blizzards to save the man, who was located at 0430 GMT on Thursday in Raeburns Gully, Deeside, Aberdeenshire. |
The climber, aged 61, was sheltering at a first aid post on Lochnagar. | The climber, aged 61, was sheltering at a first aid post on Lochnagar. |
He was then picked up by an RAF helicopter, which took him to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. | |
Rescue crews had started to bring the man off the hill on foot because of the bad weather conditions, including gale-force winds and heavy snow and sleet, which they said made the operation "near impossible". | Rescue crews had started to bring the man off the hill on foot because of the bad weather conditions, including gale-force winds and heavy snow and sleet, which they said made the operation "near impossible". |
These first aid posts have been placed within specific locations over a number of years by the rescue teams for exactly this type of occurrence Insp Andrew Todd Grampian Police | These first aid posts have been placed within specific locations over a number of years by the rescue teams for exactly this type of occurrence Insp Andrew Todd Grampian Police |
But the conditions cleared, allowing the helicopter from Lossiemouth to attend the scene. | But the conditions cleared, allowing the helicopter from Lossiemouth to attend the scene. |
Insp Andrew Todd, from Grampian Police, said the climber was lucky to have found his way to safety. | Insp Andrew Todd, from Grampian Police, said the climber was lucky to have found his way to safety. |
He added: "These first aid posts have been placed within specific locations over a number of years by the rescue teams for exactly this type of occurrence." | He added: "These first aid posts have been placed within specific locations over a number of years by the rescue teams for exactly this type of occurrence." |
The rescue operation got under way after the climber's wife reported him missing when he failed to return from his solo climb on Wednesday. | The rescue operation got under way after the climber's wife reported him missing when he failed to return from his solo climb on Wednesday. |
The agencies involved in the rescue included Braemar and Grampian Police Mountain Rescue Teams, Royal Air Force teams from RAF Kinloss and RAF Leuchars, and the Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team. | The agencies involved in the rescue included Braemar and Grampian Police Mountain Rescue Teams, Royal Air Force teams from RAF Kinloss and RAF Leuchars, and the Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team. |