Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Climber dies and another injured after avalanche on Ben Nevis

A 48-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 40-year-old was taken to hospital

Neil Pooran
Saturday 31 December 2022 15:18 EST
A helicopter was called out to assist with the rescue (Andrew Milligan/PA)
A helicopter was called out to assist with the rescue (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man has died and another has been injured following an avalanche on the north face of Ben Nevis.

Police Scotland said they were made aware of the avalanche at around 3.35pm on Friday.

The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and a helicopter were dispatched to help two male climbers who were in the area at the time.

A 48-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene and a 40-year-old was taken to Belford Hospital in Fort William for treatment. The pair’s next of kin have been informed.

The mountain rescue team posted an update on the incident on its Facebook page, saying the men were found at number two gully on the north face of the mountain.

It said: “Sadly one had sustained fatal injuries and the other was seriously injured after a slide of 600 metres (approximately).

“With the weather creating some challenging conditions the helicopter was limited to the assistance it could offer.

“This meant that we had an extended extrication of the casualties and 8 hours after the initial call we delivered the casualty to the Belford Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

“At this time, our thoughts are with the families of both involved.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in