Two young climbers were taken to hospital with suspected hypothermia after being rescued by Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards on Sunday evening (January 13th).
The 15 year-olds got into difficulty at Uphill on a 110ft cliff face after their climbing ropes got tangled.
“One of the climbers had got stuck half way down the cliff when his safety line got snagged with one of the ropes, leaving him unable to move,” Burnham Coastguard Station Officer Steve Bird told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“A Coastguard climber was lowered down to reach the stranded teenager where we secured him with a rescue harness. His line was cut and we then lowered him down to the waiting ambulance.”
Steve added: “The climber at the top of the cliffs had clung on to the ropes of his friend for 45 minutes to ensure he did not fall and I cannot praise him highlight enough. He did incredibly well.”
“Both climbers appeared to be well equipped and experienced. They seemed to be just unlucky in getting their ropes snagged.”
He said the speed of the rescue was critical as both were showing signs of hypothermia. “This was one of our more difficult rescues because speed was so important given the cold conditions and it was also complex given the large number of ropes being used.”
He added that it had been a well co-ordinated rescue in conjunction with Weston Coastguards and the ambulance service.
