Two men die in mountain falls on day of strong winds

TWO men died in separate falls in the Mourne Mountains in Co. Down yesterday.

A third man was also rescued from the mountains with a leg injury.

Before the tragedies, the Police Service of Northern Ireland warned hikers to be careful on the mountains because of strong winds.

One of the men who died on the mountains is believed to be from Camlough in Co. Armagh, to the west of Newry. He is a married man with children and well known in the area. His body and the body of the other hiker were driven to a morgue in Belfast after the tragedy.

Gusts of up to 100kph made hiking difficult on the exposed surface of the mountains.

PSNI Inspector Frances McCullough said one man had been rescued. ‘Police received a request for assistance after a male was reported to have fallen while walking on Wee Binnian shortly before midday and received a further request for assistance after a male was reported to have fallen while walking on Slieve Commedagh shortly before 1pm,’ she said.

‘Police and other emergency services responded but, unfortunately, both men died at the scene. The deaths are not being treated as suspicious.

‘A third male was also rescued from the mountains with a suspected broken ankle following a fall close to the Saddle at around 2.30pm,’ he said.

The Saddle is an uneven slope on the way up to Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the North.

Meanwhile, a fourth person got into trouble in the nearby Cooley Mountains in Co. Louth.

Sinn Féin South Down MP Chris Hazzard expressed his condolences following news of the deaths.

‘The tragic news that two men died today while walking in the Mournes will have shocked the entire local community,’ he said. ‘I’d like to commend Mountain Rescue and the emergency services who responded to today’s incidents.’