3 die as avalanche sweeps away Ben Nevis climbers
THREE climbers died yesterday and another was seriously injured after they were “swept away” by an avalanche on Britain’s highest mountain.
The men, believed to be Swiss, were caught up in the snow slide on Ben Nevis’s North Face.
The alarm was raised just before noon. But a Coastguard helicopter from Inverness and an air ambulance were forced back by winds gusting at more than 70mph. The treacherous conditions meant the recovery operation in Number 5 Gully on the 4,411ft peak had to be undertaken on foot.
Donald Paterson, deputy team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said: “It was strong wings, snow, thunder and lightning – you name it. I was forced on to my knees four times. It was brutal.”
The four climbers were hit “by a massive, massive avalanche,” he said. “It must have fallen from 4,000ft at the top and fell 1,500ft on to them. It swept them away.
“One of the climbers died pretty instantaneously. Another had CPR for half-an-hour but sadly did not respond and the other died while being taken down the mountain.” The fourth was last night in a serious condition in hospital in Glasgow.
“We did all we possibly could,” said Mr Paterson. “We had every available person we could get hold of. We carried the bodies all the way down. It is a terrible tragedy. They just got wiped out by the avalanche.
“They were partially buried by it. We have not had a lot of snow compared to normal but we have had fresh snow and high winds. This was a natural avalanche – it was not human triggered.”
A hiker who reached the summit of Ben Nevis on Friday said her group were “very lucky” to complete their journey.
Ambre Boucher, a 41-year-old nurse from South Wales, said: “There was a whiteout at the top which got a bit scary. Our footprints were being covered but we managed to find our way down with another climber.”
There have been 11 deaths on Scotland’s mountains this winter. However the latest are the first due to an avalanche. At the weekend, a climber aged 57 who spent a freezing night on a Highland peak died shortly after being rescued. His 49-year-old companion is “stable” in Belford hospital in Fort William.
The two, part of a larger group from Nottinghamshire, had been climbing Boomerang Gully on 3,658ft-high Stob Coire nan Lochan and suffered hypothermia.