Mountain rescue teams braved cold and wet conditions to save a lost man in the Lake District as Storm Austen battered the UK this week.
A concerned mother sounded the alarm about the missing man, who whose last location was Taylor Gill Force – one of the highest waterfalls on England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike.
Rescuers from six different teams battled perceived temperatures as low as -2C as they found the man alone at around 2.40am on Saturday morning in Upper Esk, where he had been sat since 6pm the previous evening.
The man was found ‘very cold and exhausted’ and had changed into his spare clothes, with both his phone and power bank having gone flat.
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Faced with challenging weather conditions including snow – and having to tackle a large search area – the rescue teams had alerted silver regional command asking for more resources in anticipation the search effort would enter a second day.
The excursionist was warmed up in situ before being evacuated from the scenic spot.
Some 12 rescuers were involved in the nine-hour search, the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (WMRT) said.
A statement from the organisation said: ‘This incident is a stark reminder of how important it is to plan for the conditions. Earlier the same day the team had been out on the hill in driving rain, and there was snow on the summit of Scafell Pike.
‘Please check the mountain weather forecast and any warnings before you set out. Be prepared to turn back if the weather gets worse or daylight is running out.’
The same team responded on Friday to an SOS emergency call from Sty Head, with members of the party unresponsive to calls.
Police received a second call on Scafell Pike relating to a female in the same area with a hip injury and unable to move.
Rescuers found contents of a stretcher box empty when they reached the location, with the excursion group having moved towards Seathwaite.
It comes as much of the UK faced heavy rain and wind from successive storms, first Austen and then Storm Boelo, with several weather warnings in place across Wales and Northern England.
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