Man dies after fall in Eryri valley

BROTHER RECOVERS HIM FROM WATER AND CALLS RESCUE TEAM BUT INJURIES ARE FATAL

A MAN has died after falling into a waterfall in a remote valley in Eryri (Snowdonia).

His brother raised the alarm after pulling him from the water.

They’d been walking in Cwm Llafar, a wilderness of rocks and marshland in the Carneddau range near Bethesda.

The valley is bordered by Yr Elen, Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llywelyn, the third-highest peak in Wales.

At the head of the cwm is a fortress of 300-metre high cliffs called Ysgolion Duon, or the Black Ladders, which are renowned for their winter climbing.

After recovering the man from the waterfall, his brother called for help.

Answering the call were 11 members of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation (OVMRO).

In an incident log, the team said: “A walker called to report that their brother had fallen some distance into a waterfall in Cwm Llafar.

“He was now out of the water but lying unconscious with head injuries.

“A local hasty party deployed directly and a further two hill teams dispatched with further equipment from base.”

Flying from Caernarfon Airport, coastguard rescue helicopter 936 located the casualty and managed to land around 200 metres away.

The OVMRO team helped the helicopter winchman to assess and move the casualty on to a stretcher.

By this stage, said OVMRO, it was “evident that he had not survived his injuries”.

The team added: “The casualty, brother and hill team were lifted back to base by R936.

“The thoughts of the team are with the family and friends of the walker at this difficult time.”

The incident, on April 3, was the team’s 45th callout of 2024.

There has been another since, on Tryfan a day later, when a climber became stranded on the mountain’s Wrinkled Slabs.

Unable to get down, the person’s partner was instead lowered down the rockface to get a phone signal to call for help.

OVMRO said: “A hasty party was deployed with lead climbing equipment and were able to climb up to the climber’s location.

“The climber was then able to downclimb on a confidence rope to safe ground and then walked back to the roadside.”