HM Coastguard has rescued two climbers after one injured their leg during a climb at Bosigran in West Cornwall.
The experienced climber fell badly injuring his leg at around 2:45 yesterday afternoon (07th April).
He found himself approximately 70 meters from the base of the cliff and 20 meters from the top, but due to his injury he was unable to make his way up or down the granite cliff face.
Knowing they needed help his climbing partner called 999 and asked for the Coastguard.
Coastguard rescue teams from Land’s End, St Ives and Penzance, a senior coastal officer, two St Ives RNLI lifeboats and the Coastguard helicopter from Newquay were all sent.
The climber had found himself under an outcrop, due to the tricky location it was decided the safest option was for the helicopter to winch the casualty and his friend onto the aircraft.
However, due to the possible downwash from the aircraft all other climbers had to vacate the area first.
With the coastguard rescue teams and lifeboats ensuring the area was safe the winch paramedic was able to descend from the aircraft and rescue the climbers.
The climber with the injured leg was taken to hospital by the helicopter.
Matt Rogers, Senior Coastal Operations Officer for HM Coastguard said: ‘The climber found himself in an extremely challenging position, it’s a reminder that no matter how experienced you are, you can still find yourself in difficulty.
‘Thankfully the climber and his friend were well prepared, they appeared to have appropriate safety kit and most importantly they had a mobile phone and knew to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
‘The other climbers in the area were really helpful by leaving safely so that we could carry out the rescue. ‘This is a reminder to us all to be prepared if you’re heading out on the coast this weekend, no matter what you’re doing make sure you plan for the unexpected.
‘Check the weather and tides before you head out, make sure you’re wearing appropriate clothing, tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back, take a fully charged mobile phone.
If you’re heading off the beaten tracked and unsure if you’ll have phone signal consider investing in a personal locator beacon. ‘Remember if you get into difficulty at the coast call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.'
