Trio of hikers who set out on treacherous Scottish ridge found dead

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

Glen Coe, Scotland: The bodies of three missing hikers were recovered from a mountain in the Scottish Highlands after they didn’t return from a notoriously difficult scramble on one of the narrowest ridge crests in Britain, police said Monday.

The trio set out Saturday in Glen Coe to hike the Aonach Eagach, a 10-kilometre knife-edge ridge that tops out at 3600 feet (1100 meters) and has precipitous drops. A search began after sunset when they didn’t return, Police Scotland said.

The Scottish Highlands are shown in this 2017 photo. Credit: AP

A Coastguard helicopter flying in fog and mist located the bodies and a search and rescue crew returned on Sunday morning to recover them.

The deaths did not appear to be suspicious but a report will be given to the office that investigates deaths and prosecutes crimes, police said.

Police did not provide names of the dead.

While storm Antoni lashed parts of Britain on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain, the forecast in the Highlands was for light rain in the afternoon and temperatures as low as 5 degrees at 6pm.

The British Mountaineering Council lists the trek as the “most legendary Grade 2 scramble in Scotland,” meaning it doesn’t require using a rope for safety but some people would be more comfortable having one.

“Whatever measure you use to assess the quality of a scramble — length, exposure, views, or overall adrenal gland-squeezing awesomeness — the castellated crest of rock that looms menacingly above Glen Coe is pretty hard to top,” the BMC’s website says.

“Nowhere else on the British mainland will you find a ridge of such narrow yet epic proportions; and when you add in the ease of access and the scenically stellar location, it comes as no surprise that this is one of the most bucket-listed mountain days in the country.”

AP

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.

Most Viewed in World

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article