2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche

Avalanche in Scotland April 2022 2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche File:Buachaille Etive Mor.jpg Buachaille Etive Mòr viewed from Glen Etive 2009 01 24 y 12:00 GMT (UTC) Buachaille Etive Mòr, Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom 56 38 50 N 4 53 52 W inline,title Snow disturbed by mountain climbers 3 1 serious, 5 minor The 2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche happened on Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, UK, on 24 January 2009. Three mountain climbers were killed and one sustained a serious shoulder injury. Two of the dead were from Northern Ireland and the other was from Scotland. Nine people from at least three countries in at least two parties were involved in the incident on a mountain that is well recognised by tourists to Scotland. While avalanches are not uncommon in the area, very few deaths are reported—this incident has been described as "one of the worst disasters in the Scottish mountains for decades".Muir Jonny The UK's County Tops: Reaching the Top of 91 Historic Counties 2011 Cicerone Pr Ltd 978-1-85284-629-9 16 Geography thumb|Map of Glen Coe and environs. Two of the main summits of Buachaille Etive Mòr are marked as "Sb Dearg" and "Sb na Broige". The avalanche occurred in the Coire na Tulaich area of the mountain. Coire na Tulaich affords a relatively easy (but steep) ascent of the mountain in summer conditions and is also the main ascent route for hill walkers. This corrie has a history of previous avalanches.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4333894/Climbers-are-well-aware-of-the-risks-of-avalanche.html Climbers are well aware of the risks of avalanche Gray Richard The Telegraph 25 Jan 2009 23 December 2013 31 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140131141945/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4333894/Climbers-are-well-aware-of-the-risks-of-avalanche.html live The last fatal avalanche before this incident occurred in February 1995, resulting in the deaths of three people. Buachaille Etive Mòr (which means "the great herdsman of Etive")W.H. Murray Murray W.H. 1977 The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland London Collins 165 is a popular destination for hill walkers and climbers. There are two Munros on the ridge of Buachaille Etive Mòr. Stob Dearg is the highest peak on the ridge and is the one seen from the A82 road, the other Munro summit being Stob na Bròige.http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/buachailleetivemor.shtml Buachaille Etive Mor walkhighlands.co.uk 23 December 2013 24 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224120041/http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/buachailleetivemor.shtml live Climbers According to John Grieve, the leader of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team, the nine caught in the avalanche appeared to consist of two parties, one made up of seven friends, both Scottish and English, and a pair of climbers. One of the men suffered a serious shoulder injury.http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/rescuer-tells-of-horror-as-glencoe-avalanche-kills-three-climbers-there-were-hundreds-of-tons-of-snow-1-1303498 Rescuer tells of horror as Glencoe avalanche kills three climbers: "There were hundreds of tons of snow" The Scotsman 25 Jan 2009 23 December 2013 24 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224103057/http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/rescuer-tells-of-horror-as-glencoe-avalanche-kills-three-climbers-there-were-hundreds-of-tons-of-snow-1-1303498 live Search and rescue effort Following the avalanche at 12:00 UTC, a major search and rescue operation was carried out in blizzard conditions.http://dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/81621/Three-dead-in-Scottish-avalanche- Three dead in Scottish avalanche 24 January 2009 23 December 2013 Sunday Express 7 February 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090207164832/http://dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/81621/Three-dead-in-Scottish-avalanche- live Rescue helicopters were involved alongside members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team who were aided by detection dogs.http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/01/24/scotland.avalanche/index.html Three killed in Scotland avalanche 24 January 2009 23 December 2013 CNN News 24 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224114335/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/01/24/scotland.avalanche/index.html live First to arrive at the scene was the RAF rescue helicopter, Rescue 137, which had been diverted from an exercise in the area. A second helicopter, Rescue 177, was then scrambled from the Royal Navy station at HMS Gannet near Prestwick. Upon their discovery at 15:00 UTC, the three climbers were airlifted off the mountain and taken to the Belford Hospital in Fort William by ambulance where they were pronounced dead at 17:00 UTC.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7848934.stm Three die in Highlands avalanche 24 January 2009 23 December 2013 BBC News 4 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170804192452/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7848934.stm live A fourth person airlifted to hospital sustained a shoulder injury, and the remaining five people found on the mountain were described as "uninjured".http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0124/113102-scotland/ Three die in Scottish mountain avalanche 24 January 2009 23 December 2013 RTÉ News 24 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224094908/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0124/113102-scotland/ live The rest of the climbers were left on the mountain for a period as weather conditions prevented the helicopters from re-engaging in their search efforts.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-avalanche-idUSTRE50N1S220090124 Three killed in Scottish avalanche 24 January 2009 23 December 2013 Reuters Avril Ormsby 27 May 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180527005009/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-avalanche-idUSTRE50N1S220090124 live Cause John Grieve said the avalanche was initiated by a climber who dislodged a huge sheet of snow, sending it down on the nine other climbers who were swept 500 ft downhill.http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=45780 Avalanche Kills Three In Glencoe Jack Geldard UKClimbing January 2009 23 December 2013 24 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224083932/http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=45780 live The climber avoided being swept away by digging into the mountain with his ice axe before he composed himself to alert the emergency services. The surviving climbers had begun to unearth their friends' bodies from the snow with their ice axes by the time the rescue team had arrived. Fifty-year-old Jim Coyne from Lindsayfield, East Kilbride, said he and 53-year-old David Barr from Paisley, were on the mountain when a slab of snow came away from the peak. Barr sustained the shoulder injury. Coyne told of how they were just below the summit when the avalanche occurred, describing it as "massive" and saying they were ... engulfed and I managed to dig my way out. As I tried to get my bearings I saw an arm sticking out of the snow. It was Davie. I dug for 10 minutes using just my hands to get him free. 54-year-old Tom Richardson, an experienced climber from Sheffield in England, also had a narrow escape and subsequently alerted the emergency services.http://www.scotsman.com/news/three-die-in-glencoe-avalanche-1-1303453 Three die in Glencoe avalanche 24 January 2009 23 December 2013 Scotland on Sunday 24 December 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131224113423/http://www.scotsman.com/news/three-die-in-glencoe-avalanche-1-1303453 live The three casualties were named as Eamonn Murphy, 61, John Murphy, 63 and Brian Murray. References Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche Buachaille Etive Mor avalanche Buachaille Etive Mor avalanche Category:Natural disasters in Scotland Buach Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche Category:Avalanches in Europe Category:Glen Coe