Incident reports

A 16-year-old died after getting into difficulties while swimming beneath High Force waterfall in Middleton-in-Teesdale on Tuesday. He was recovered from the water by fire brigade rescue and airlifted to hospital but later died. Five other teenagers in the water were uninjured.

Outcome: teenager died in hospital

A woman fell 100–150 metres near the summit of Goat Fell on the Isle of Arran on Monday afternoon, sustaining various injuries. She was winched to safety by coastguard search and rescue helicopter, and the rest of her party were guided down by team members.

Outcome: casualty airlifted by helicopter

Two climbers from Bradford, Rachel Slater and Tim Newton, went missing on Ben Nevis on 15 February 2016 after failing to return from an outing. Mountain rescuers conducted ongoing search efforts in the Coire na Ciste area, hampered by hazardous weather including snow and high winds. The status of the couple remained unresolved at the time of reporting.

Outcome: unresolved search continuing

A walker found in severe hypothermia on the Border Ridge during the Spine Race on 16 January 2016 was treated at the Auchope Shelter and evacuated by Coastguard helicopter. The rescue team credited the mountain refuge hut with saving the casualty's life, and he was expected to make a full recovery.

Outcome: evacuated by Coastguard helicopter, expected to make full recovery

Two poorly equipped walkers became lost on Ben Lomond during descent in winter conditions and ended up at an isolated farm north of the mountain. Lomond Mountain Rescue Team located them at Comer Farm in the evening after a search involving ground teams and a helicopter. The walkers were found cold and wet but uninjured, having fallen several times during their descent in darkness.

Outcome: located at Comer Farm, cold and wet but uninjured

A 65-year-old hill runner from Dingwall went missing during a hill running expedition in the Torridon mountains and was found deceased in the Liathach area after a two-day search involving rescue teams, sniffer dogs and a Coastguard helicopter.

Outcome: body recovered

A 65-year-old experienced hillrunner and member of Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team went missing after setting out on a running trip in Torridon on 20 September 2015. His body was found on Liathach on 26 September 2015 after a major multi-agency search. Police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

Outcome: body recovered

A West Herts College lecturer died while walking on Ben Nevis in August 2015. His family held a fundraising collection for Lochaber Mountain Rescue during a Proclaimers performance at Watford Colosseum, raising over £1,000 in his memory.

Outcome: casualty died

A group of three inexperienced walkers became stuck in winter conditions on Ptarmigan Ridge, Ben Lomond, during a seven-hour rescue operation. One casualty sustained a minor injury from a fall on ice, and the group was rescued by 22 volunteers from Lomond Mountain Rescue Team after being provided with microspikes and guidance down the mountain.

Outcome: all casualties rescued and brought to safety; one treated for minor injury

A walker died after falling approximately 1,000ft from the Ptarmigan ridge on Ben Lomond in winter conditions. He was airlifted from the scene by Royal Navy Sea King helicopter. The incident prompted Lomond Mountain Rescue Team to warn walkers about the continued winter hazards on Scottish mountain tops despite milder conditions at lower elevations.

Outcome: casualty fatality

Two experienced climbers from Suffolk were caught in an avalanche on Coireag Dubh Mor in Torridon on Friday night. One climber was found walking out to seek help on Saturday afternoon, but the other was discovered deceased. Mountain rescue teams and coastguard helicopter assisted in the search despite severe weather conditions.

Outcome: one climber killed, one climber survived

A rescue dog named Rauour, working with Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team, located a critically injured woman trapped in tree roots during a blizzard near Innerleithen in January 2015. The unconscious casualty was suffering from advanced hypothermia and was airlifted to hospital by Royal Navy helicopter. The dog's detection skills proved instrumental in finding the casualty in thick forest conditions where a larger ground search team would have been less effective.

Outcome: casualty airlifted to hospital by Royal Navy helicopter

Border Search and Rescue Unit assisted an exhausted 49-year-old runner competing in the Montane Spine Race ultramarathon who had activated his GPS SOS tracker after becoming depleted and at risk of hypothermia at Windy Gyle on the border ridge. A helicopter was unable to land due to poor visibility, so a team of ten volunteers hiked to the casualty's location and provided warmth and support before safely evacuating him on foot.

Outcome: casualty warmed, rewarmed and reassured with hot tea and shared body heat, then walked off the hill supported by rescue volunteers to a Land Rover

A 39-year-old climber fell and died on Bidean nam Bian in Glencoe on 8 March 2013. This was the 12th mountain death in Scotland that year, prompting public debate about mountain safety and rescue services.

Outcome: fatality