Mountaineering club member collapses and dies in Snowdonia

A man has tragically died after collapsing during a mountaineering club outing to Snowdonia.

Fellow club members desperately tried to save his life as mountain rescue teams raced to the area.

Rescue teams were called to Aran Benllyn, south of Llanuwchllyn, in Gwynedd just before 10am on Saturday.

Call-handlers from Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team were told the walker who had collapsed was part of a well-equipped and experienced mountaineering club group walking the Aran Ridge.

He collapsed suddenly, and resuscitation attempts by other group members started immediately.

A spokesman for the rescue team said: ‘Due to the remote location and potential severity of the incident, the assistance of Coastguard helicopter Rescue936 was requested, and although being first in the area, the helicopter was unable to reach the casualty site due to low cloud cover.

‘As Rescue Team members started arriving at the foot of the hill, the winchman-paramedic was dropped below the cloud-base to make his way to the casualty on foot.’

A stretcher and further medical supplies were then flown up to the scene.

Sadly, the spokesman said: ‘Despite immediate, prolonged and high-quality CPR performed by group members, and further interventions once the paramedic was on scene, the man remained unresponsive throughout and was declared deceased at the scene.’

The man and members of the hill party were flown from the scene and the situation was handed over to the care of North Wales Police.