The coastguard helicopter was in action twice within the hour on Sunday 5 November, first to Beinn Pharlagain, onto Buachaille Etive Mòr.
The first call-out came yesterday afternoon just after 3.30pm when Police Scotland requested the assistance of the helicopter to take an injured walker to Fort William. Shortly after winching the casualty onboard the helicopter was immediately tasked again just after 4.30pm to a young 12 year old girl who’d injured her knee whilst walking with her mother in the Glencoe area. As darkness and temperatures were falling, the helicopter went straight to the second casualty, with the first casualty still onboard as he did not require immediate hospitalisation. After a short search the young girl was located in a tight gully, some 2,500ft up the mountain. The helicopter was first on scene and the Glencoe mountain rescue team arrived shortly afterwards. They winched the young girl onboard and then the two casualties were taken to Torlundy, where there were met by two ambulances for onward transfer to Belford hospital, Fort William.
Giles Ratcliffe, Captain of Inverness coastguard helicopter said: ‘It was fairly busy day yesterday with these two back to back jobs. The first job was fairly straightforward but when we were scrambled to the second job we still had the first patient onboard. Thankfully, he was not badly injured so we kept him onboard whilst we rescued the little girl. It was getting dark and cold, and certainly below freezing where the girl and her mother were located – some 2,500ft up the mountain. Once we winched the young girl on board we took both casualties to Fort William. We wish them both a speedy recovery.’
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