British mountaineer is rescued by Russians

A British mountaineer has been evacuated by helicopter from Russia’s Mount Elbrus with head injuries.

The woman, 63, was near Pastukhov Rocks, 4,500m above sea level, when she was injured yesterday.

“In order to evacuate a climber from England, we used a private helicopter,” a spokesman from the emergency ministry said.

The injured mountaineer was taken to Lermontov, a town in the neighbouring Stavropol region.

It was not immediately clear how serious the injury was and whether she would be admitted to hospital in Russia or transported to the UK for further treatment.