Avalanche risk hampers Ben Nevis search

A MALE hillwalker is still unaccounted for, four days after going missing close to the summit of Ben Nevis.

Two men were rescued by Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team close to the top of the mountain at about 6pm on Sunday, having reported themselves in difficulty earlier in the afternoon.

But, after the rescue, police confirmed a third member of the party was unaccounted for.

Rescue services were unable to make further searches of the mountain on Sunday because of challenging blizzard conditions, restricted visibility and the risk of avalanche.

Inspector Isla Campbell appealed for information, saying: ‘We would urge any climbers or walkers who were on Ben Nevis on Sunday to report anything they believe may be of assistance to us as soon as possible.

‘Any information, no matter how minor it may seem, can be useful and it can be passed to us in Fort William by calling 101, using reference NP662/18.’

And yesterday (Wednesday), a Police Scotland spokesperson said the hillwalker had still not been found, with prolonged bad weather hampering search efforts, He said: ‘He remains missing. There was no further search activity on Tuesday due to the weather conditions and avalanche risk. We will have people out on the hill when conditions allow.’