Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

Information => Outdoor News and Events => Topic started by: admin on August 26, 2014

Title: Mourne Mountains: Father and son rescued after 13 hour ordeal
Post by: admin on August 26, 2014

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/77165000/jpg/_77165583_mournes.jpg)

Quote

A father and son have been rescued after going missing for 13 hours in the Mourne Mountains.

The pair had been camping on Sunday but when they failed to return at about 16:00 BST on Monday, their family raised the alarm.

A search operation, involving the Mourne Mountain rescue team and the coastguard, got under way.

The pair are currently being brought off the mountain and are thought to be well.

Lawrence Cumming from the Belfast coastguard said the Mourne Mountain rescue team had asked them for helicopter assistance.

He said the pair had been unable to make it out of the mountains due to the weather.

"Navigation in the Mournes is particularly difficult if you are not fully equipped with the navigation equipment needed to do that, or the experienced hill walker," he said.

"Weather conditions yesterday, particularly early morning were atrocious.

"It would have presented quite a few difficulties for people who were not entirely with navigation on mountains. This spell of bad weather has come upon us after a reasonable summer so people may have been caught unawares."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-28933754

Title: Re: Mourne Mountains: Father and son rescued after 13 hour ordeal
Post by: Ed on August 26, 2014

Glad to hear they got home safe.
Well done MMRT

Title: Re: Mourne Mountains: Father and son rescued after 13 hour ordeal
Post by: jon007 on August 26, 2014

Map showing the search area and how the MMRT split out.

Title: Re: Mourne Mountains: Father and son rescued after 13 hour ordeal
Post by: admin on August 27, 2014

Updated details:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rescue-team-plucks-freezing-dad-and-son-from-mournes-30539201.html

Title: Re: Mourne Mountains: Father and son rescued after 13 hour ordeal
Post by: Rich.H on August 28, 2014

Good work on finding them fast to the MMRT, and about time to see the result of a rescue of this nature where the victims were actually victims rather than most of the idiots who wander about in trainers and tracky bottoms etc. Credit to the father involved who had the foresight to bring along a tent and the intelligence to use it instead of plowing onward into danger.

I am curious if they were had posted a planned route or not though? perhaps any of the MMRT can shed some light?