Boy, 14, seriously injured following fall on Eryri mountain

A 14-year-old boy was seriously injured after falling 20 to 30 metres in Eryri (Snowdonia) on Sunday.

The incident happened on the notoriously treacherous Tryfan peak while the boy was on a scrambling walk with his mother, leading to a six-hour-long search and rescue operation.

The 14-year-old, who was conscious, was airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital with his mother and brother, who arrived following the accident.

His condition is unknown, although he is believed to have suffered possible fractures and facial injuries, as well as cuts and bruises.

Unable to get phone reception, his mother had to make the difficult decision to leave her son to try to get help.

She was picked up by a member of the public on a nearby road, who then called Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team.

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Rescue team spokesman Chris Lloyd said: "She was in a lot of distress.

"She said she had been with her son on Tryfan. They had not gone very far when he took a tumbling fall for twenty to thirty metres in a gully."He was seriously injured and she made what must have been a very difficult decision to come down off the mountain to get help."

A rescue helicopter located him on the west face of Tryfan at about 8pm.

Lowering a rescuer on a winch to reach the casualty, Mr Lloyd explained: "He identified that the boy was still alive and conscious."

He was found in a steep, craggy area which had recently had a major rockfall.

The boy was put onto a stretcher at about 10.30pm and airlifted down to the mountain rescue base.

His mother and brother were picked up at the base, and flew with him to hospital.

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