14 hillwalkers rescued after getting stranded on Ben Macdui

FOURTEEN hillwalkers were led to safety in the early hours of the morning after becoming stranded by dense fog on the slopes of the UK’s second highest mountain.

The group of hillwalkers contacted the emergency services on Monday night after getting into difficulties on 4,295ft high Ben Macdui, on the southern edge of the Cairngorm plateau.

Members of the Grampian Police and Braemar mountain rescue teams were called out, together with a search and rescue helicopter from HMS Gannet at Prestwick.

The group were located just before 11pm and guided off the mountain.

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: “Grampian Police confirm that they received a report of a group of hill walkers becoming lost in the Ben Macdui area about 7 pm last night. The group of 14 people became disorientated when they became immersed in fog and used their mobile telephones to contact police.

“Two mountain rescue teams - one from Braemar, and one from Aberdeen – were mobilised along with a helicopter from Glasgow. The group were located just before 11pm and safely walked off the hill. There were no reports of any injuries.”