Rescue Pictures Page

52 Year old Male - Fell near Pillar Rock

Saturday 1st April 2006


6/13:1/4/06 (  4.30 a.m. ) - Saturday

The team were asked by Cumbria Police to search for a male in his fifties from the Cockermouth area reported to be either on Great Gable or Scafell Pike  After an 8 hour search involving 3 mountain rescue teams, search dogs and an RAF helicopter a member of the public reported finding a body at the foot of Pillar Rock, below the Shamrock Traverse in Ennerdale, the adjacent valley to the north of Wasdale.  The body was recovered by Wasdale MRT with the assistance of the RAF and later confirmed to be the missing person.  The cause of death has not been established. The incident lasted 14 hours and involved 19 Wasdale MRT members, Keswick MRT, Duddon & Furness MRT, 5 Search dogs SARDA (Lakes) and a Sea King helicopter from RAF Boulmer (43 mountain rescue team members in all).  Incident closed at 6.00 p.m.

We would like to offer the team's condolences to his family and friends

One of a number of search groups making their way up to the summit of Scafell Pike - this photo was taken at around 7.30 a.m. and the tops were clear - it promised to be a reasonably good day for searching

By the time we had reached Lingmel Col the weather had closed in and it started snowing (only 30 minutes after the previous photo was taken.  This Photo was taken on the top of Scafell Pike at around 10.00 a.m. - all the shelters were checked along with the south summit - the missing person was not on the Pike.  

One of the other Wasdale groups had checked Mickledore, Lord's rake, Broad Stand the Summit of the Pike and then descended into Eskdale via Cam spout. They then checked the area below Esk Pike before making their way back up the Broad Crag Col via Little narrow Cove - nothing found but the area was cleared.

A very hard slog up the scree of Little Narrow Cove

Back in the Valley bottom around midday - the weather totally different to what we had experienced on the Pike.  Duddon and Furness mountain rescue team had been called in the assist Wasdale in the search.

RAF Boulmer came to assist in the search.  Orange smoke deployed to assist the pilot with wind direction and strength.  The helicopter land and take-off into the wind in the same way as a fixed wind aircraft 

Sea King helicopter coming in to land over the top of the Wasdale Head Hotel, Kirk Fell in the background

Preparing to touch down.

Taking off with the Team Leader on board to search from the air using it's thermal imaging camera from an operational height of around 1,500 feet

Gaining height with Lingmel in the background

Later that afternoon a mans body was found at the back of Pillar.  He had fallen from the Shamrock Traverse, most probably the previous day.  It was later confirmed that he was the missing walker who we had been looking for.  He was recovered by stretcher from the scene of the accident to a position where the helicopter could lift him and taken to Wasdale Head where he was transferred to a road vehicle.

Incident closed at around 6.30 p.m.

 

 

Page created 2/4/06