A man who fell into a gully while climbing sea cliffs on the Isle of Lewis was rushed to hospital after a ‘challenging’ rescue.
The alarm was raised at around 8.40pm on Friday after reports of a climber being injured and trapped in a gully near Bragar.
Several HM Coastguard rescue crews raced to the scene alongside a helicopter which lowered a paramedic to the stricken man.
Due to their position, a technical rope rescue was launched which was made harder due to fading light conditions.
Hebrides Mountain Rescue Team were tasked to attend while Stornoway lifeboat was also asked for help.
The injured man was eventually extracted from the gully shortly before midnight and taken to the Western Isles Hospital for treatment.
The extent of his injuries are not currently known.
All involved in the rescue have been hailed for their efforts during what has been described as “one of the most technically challenging” missions ever seen in the Western Isles.
HM Coastguard - Western Isles, Skye and Lochaber said: “Once the helicopter arrived on scene, a winch man paramedic was lowered to casualty but due to the casualty being wedged in a gully they were unable to extract casualty.
“Coastguard Rescue Teams began a prolonged and challenging technical rescue to extract casualty via rope rescue system.
“As the casualty’s injuries and location extended the rescue effort into darkness, the decision was taken to task more assets with Hebrides Mountain Rescue Team and Stornoway Lifeboat requested to provide more options on scene should the initial rescue effort prove unsuccessful.
“The casualty was eventually extracted just before midnight by Coastguard Rope Rescue Teams as Mountain Rescue team arrived on scene.
“Following packaging at cliff top, the casualty was evacuated to Western Isles Hospital.
“We would like to thank all services for their assistance in this incident, which is one of the most technically challenging we have seen in the Western Isles.
“We wish the casualty a speedy recovery.”
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